


Dark Valkyrie

by TheRoyalDragoon



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Harems, Romance, Strong Female Characters, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2018-08-22 14:22:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8288846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRoyalDragoon/pseuds/TheRoyalDragoon
Summary: Deciding she needs another agent on Remnant to ensure Cinder's loyalties, Salem take a young Nora Valkyrie away from her harsh life and trains her to be the perfect instrument of her will. After years of training, Nora goes to attend Beacon Academy and await the start of Cinder's plans. However, a reunion with an old friend and the meeting of several new ones causes Nora to start questioning her loyalties. Will Nora stay true to Salem or choose her newfound friends? StrongNora. DarkNora. NoraXHarem.





	1. Dark Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

Salem’s world was empty, filled with nothing but dark stones and even darker crystals; the only bright light coming from the shattered moon. It was gloomy, oppressive and the closest physical thing to hell one could find in the world.

  
And Salem loved it, for it represented what she wanted most in life; the utter desolation of the world and the extinction of mankind. When her plans came to fruition, and they would, then all of Remnant would be returned to this beautiful, empty state.

  
Salem couldn’t wait for that day, when she finally defeated that arrogant Ozpin. He never truly had a chance at stopping her plan; it was as futile as trying to stop the sun from setting. But that old wizard had proven himself to be very crafty and resourceful during their long conflict and had managed to…delay her ultimate victory on multiple occasions. She had to be patient and devise a plan that would destroy Ozpin’s power from within.

  
It gave Salem endless pleasure and amusement that that key to destroying Ozpin lay in the very species he was fighting to protect. While humans could be quite strong when united together, all it would take was a little push to send them into a spiral of mistrust and infighting. She had used this tactic before, sending the Kingdoms of Remnant into what they now call the Great War.

  
She had come close to having the humans fatally weaken themselves by fighting each other and make it impossible to resist her Grimm hordes. But the humans had proven once again their resiliency and emerged from the war more united and stronger than ever. Salem had to refine her plan, to fully exploit all of humanity’s weaknesses.

  
Salem’s influence during the Great War had been fairly minimal, some subtle touches in the minds of influential people that stoked the fire of a conflict that was already beginning to brew. She had taken an opportunity that had presented itself and made the humans fight one another, but once the fighting started, she couldn’t control which direction it took. Thus the war ended too soon and without enough damaged done to the fighting strength of the Kingdoms.

  
That had been a…miscalculation. One she was not going to repeat.

  
Salem needed a direct hand, an agent to both start the next conflict and to ensure that events transpired exactly as Salem wanted them to. She also needed someone to reclaim the powers of the Maidens, powers that were rightfully hers. That agent would need to be skilled enough to infiltrate the Kingdoms, clever enough to manipulate others and powerful enough to defeat any who would stand in their way.  
This was a truly tall order to fill for a mere human. Salem knew this and thus she had spent the last several decades scouring the world for the perfect candidate, not willing to settle for anything less.

  
And she had found that perfect servant, in the form of one Cinder Fall. The girl was young, had no education or training and was powerless to control her own fate. At a glance, not what Salem was looking for, yet the Queen of the Grimm had fought humanity for countless generations and could read them like a book. While the young Mistralian had the outward appearance of just another orphan living on the streets, a symptom of that Kingdom’s many unacknowledged problems, but inside she was so much more.

  
To survive as long as she had, Cinder had shown a great deal of both resourcefulness and ruthlessness. If she had possessed neither of these, she would have end up dead in a gutter like so many other children had before. This was especially apparent due to Cinder chosen line of survival.

  
Instead of simply begging or resorting to petty theft, Cinder had managed to get jobs running with various gangs and cartels. These jobs were inherently more dangerous than simply stealing what she needed to live, but they offered both greater rewards and their own form of security. The child had managed to convince several harden criminals that she was far more useful working for them and not being sold like so many other pretty girls. This protected her from many other underlings who may have thought taking Cinder for their own amusement.

  
Cinder Falls, just a teenager, had managed to not only survive in a very violent and hostile environment, but in a way thrive. She had made herself indispensable to several different groups without committing her loyalty to a single one. A sharp mind and a sharp tongue allowed her to manipulate those around her to keep herself safe while also amassing a small fortune. Her skills of infiltration were sound as well, as she had never failed any job or theft. She was quickly acquiring a reputation as one of the best thieves in the Kingdom.

  
And while Cinder was not the strongest physically, the many dead and broken people she had left over the years told of precise planning coupled with brutal execution. The violent life she had chosen was all due to a massive ambition that she held, wanting to have as much power as possible. She wouldn’t settle for anything less than becoming the best.

  
Now Cinder was not the first candidate that Salem had looked at that seemed to fit what she needed. There had been many young children who had been raised in harsh conditions but had risen to the challenge, showing great skill and intelligence. But what set Cinder apart, the thing that drove her immense ambition and greed, was an absolute burning hatred for all of humanity.

  
Cinder knew violence because she had suffered from the violence of others. She knew manipulation because she had been manipulated and betrayed many times before. And she was a master of instilling fear because she herself was deeply afraid of falling back into being just a helpless little girl, abused by all those around her.

  
Yes, Cinder hated her fellow humans with a passion and was finding it increasingly pleasing to bring pain and suffering upon them. All of it was justice for what she had been forced to suffer through, in her mind. If left to her own devices, Salem was sure she would come dominate the criminal underworld of Mistral. She would allow her hatred to lead her on a self-destructive path and use her powers against the Kingdom and its people. This could to enough damage that all or part of Mistral fell, repeating what had happened to Mantle.

  
But Salem was no longer willing to gamble on merely possibilities, even ones that seemed certain. The collapse of Mantle had seemed like a victory at first, but its successor, Atlas, had risen to be even stronger and even more driven to destroy the Grimm. Picking the Kingdoms off one by one was not good enough for Salem anymore. Those plans were too prone to interference by Ozpin and served more to rally the humans rather than weaken them. What Salem wanted was a grand plan that would create an unstoppable domino effect, dividing humanity and leaving them weak enough to fully crush once and for all.  
And cruel, violent and ambitious Cinder would be the key to this victory. Already Salem had touched the girl’s mind during her sleeping hours, giving her glimpses of a different life, of what she could become. No plans or details, just a feeling that something out there could make Cinder stronger.

  
And like a piece of fine meat in front of a hungry predator, Cinder would jump at the chance no matter how slim it seemed. She would start looking for clues, answers for the images from her dreams. With a little help from Salem, she would find her way to one of the location outside the Kingdoms were she could contact her directly. It wouldn’t take much to convince Cinder to aid her in her plans, not with the amount of power she was offering. From there, it was only a matter of training Cinder to the level necessary to enact her plans.

  
Soon, Salem would have her perfect tool; A human that hated other humans. It was the perfect irony that the downfall of Ozpin’s favored race would come not from without, but from within. It was all perfect with no flaws.

  
Except….

  
Salem paused in her walking. Trekking through the endless wastes of her domain was the only physical activity she could indulge in and often did so during the long periods of planning her next move. The Queen of the Grimm mulled her current thought for a short time before setting off again, in a different direction.

  
She headed towards the very heart of her realm, the Nexus of all her powers and where she could influence the human world. It was several hours away from her current location, but such trivial things mattered not to Salam. She had all the time in the world to think and plan.

  
And she used that time to properly examine the new problem and think of possible solutions.

  
The central Nexus was a giant pit filled with immense black crystals, pulsating with a dark energy. Salem climbed the stones steps and stood at the edge of the natural platform that overlooked the pit. Like so many times before, she harnessed the dark energy within the crystal and used it to project a large image of the world of Remnant. The landmasses were pitch-black with a multitude of small, white specks scattered all over them. There were four points on the globe that were larger and burned brighter than the rest.

  
Salem looked at the map as she again pondered what to do. Her whole plan hinged on Cinder and, to an extent, on the essence of human nature. She planned to use both extensively to wipe out humanity. But after the many battles with the humans, Salem had learned that they could be both predictable and unpredictable in equal measures. It was the most infuriating thing about them, but also a key element in their continued survival. Salem would not suffer another set-back and so she needed to fully take this aspect of humans into consideration.

  
Cinder was the perfect tool, with her desire to be powerful and feared making her easy to control. As long as Salem provided her with the means to grow in strength while keeping her afraid of her wrath, she would stay in line.

  
Indeed, Salem was the very idol that Cinder herself wished to become and so would serve her in the hopes of becoming like her. The idea that a mere human could ever reach the same position as she, to be the one that would determine the fate of the world and all those who lived in it, was absolutely absurd.

  
The dream and hope that it was possible would still drive Cinder into her arms and ensure her loyalty until the plan was complete. The chances of Cinder turning her against were so small that it was hardly worth worrying about.

  
Salem bit her lip in a very human expression of worry, looking at the black projection as her great mind pondered the major issue with her plan.

  
Cinder was ambitious, power-hungry and only cared for herself. Those qualities were an asset for Salem’s plan, but could also prove a liability. If Cinder ever thought she had the smallest chance of defeating Salem and taking her place, she may take it. It was preposterous that Cinder could even defeat Salem, but a betrayal at the wrong moment could ruin everything.

  
Striking against Salem would result in certain death and only madwomen would even consider it. But those who knew Cinder, witnessed what she did on a regular basis, would know that she wasn’t completely sane by most standards.

  
The risk was small, almost insignificant, but any risk was too much for Salem. She would not be denied her victory and her vengeance. Not again.

  
But what alternative was there? She had spent decades searching for the perfect candidate to fulfill her plans. There was no time to find another. Beside, anyone else may be just as willing to betray her or may not be strong enough to do what needed to be done.

  
Cinder, despite the now uncovered risk, was indispensable to her plans. And while she could be manipulated to a degree, there was nothing she could do the seal her loyalty; not without compromising her abilities.

  
Salem waved her hand and the image of the globe was replaced with a detailed impression of the Kingdom of Mistral. Thousands of white dots littered the map, representing all the powerful souls that lived within those walls. She didn’t bother having it show every person; only those who could aid or hinder her plans.

  
Everyone else was simply lambs waiting for the slaughter.

  
One of those white points was different from the rest, a swirling line of black mixing in with the pure white. That was Cinder’s soul, the darkness of her heart being clearly visible. If Salem focused on each individual soul, she could pick out traces of darkness in many of them, but only in Cinder did it burn so brightly, so beautifully.

  
It had been that clear marking on her soul that led her to being noticed by Salem in the first place. She had been surprised to find a human, a young one at that, with such darkness in her heart. She was had been delighted, of course, that the society that Ozpin fought so hard to protect had produced someone so predisposed to aid her grand plan.

  
The delight was now turning into a grave concern. The key element to her plan could potentially become the thing the undermine it. And Ozpin would only need the smallest hole, the tiniest chink, to completely undo her plans.

  
Salem brought her right hand to her face, biting her finger in yet another very human gesture. This was the main problem of thinking up plans to eliminate an entire race of flawed yet still quite intelligent creatures. She was doing it all alone, with no one to go over plans with to see if there were any kind of flaws, such as the issue with Cinder she had just discovered.  
The creatures of Grimm, while fierce and deadly, were not the best to have discussions about the minutia of complex strategies to conquer the world. In that one area, Salem admitted begrudgingly, the humans had the advantage over her creations.

  
In truth, Salem had planned for Cinder to provide that crucial element, to review Salem plans and adapt them to the situation on the ground. She would gather various other humans, dangerous and violent ones, and use their skills and knowledge to ensure the plans success. In essence, she would create a counterpart to the little ‘brotherhood’ that Ozpin used. None of these cohorts would know the entire plan, she wasn’t as trusting as Ozpin, but they would still prove a greater threat to Ozpin’s organization then her fiercest Grimm breeds.

  
But on the other hand, she was effectively giving Cinder the means to build her own separate power-base. This power-base would be used to topple the Kingdoms, but it could also be used against Salem, if Cinder’s ambition overcame her judgement.

  
Salem’s frustration began to build and the world responded to its mistress’s mood. The sky grew even darker and air become more oppressive, suffocating if any human had been there. The floating map began to fluctuate as the energy within the crystals started to overload. This didn’t happen often, Salem could control her emotions better than any human, but when her temper was let loose her realm would shatter in a violent tempest before reforming.

  
Why did this always happen? Salem knew that fate and destiny were on her side, there could be no other outcome for anyone who opposed her. The humans were doomed; there was no hope for them whatsoever. Yet still they persisted, somehow defying their fate again and again. There was always some loophole; some critical element overlooked that in turn would cause her plans to be undone.

  
Salem’s anger was mounting and she directed toward the main object of hate in her life; Ozpin. If she found out about Cinder and her less than certain loyalties, she had no doubt he would use that against her. It didn’t even need to be Ozpin himself; one of those lackeys of his could discover this fault and either inform their master or take advantage of it on behalf of him. For all of his arrogance, Ozpin could count on the loyalty of a number of competent people. The chance that one would betray him was almost non-existent and they were always on hand to help Ozpin in his plans to counter Salem. There was never too many of them, but Ozpin was able to always have more than two followers to help him…

  
Salem’s thoughts stopped in their tracks as she processed that thought and that number, two. The world stopped it collapse as he emotions stabilized and her thoughts whirled. She ceased the biting of her right hand, bringing it up to look at her palm. She then raised her left hand and did the same, looking back and forth between the two.

  
An hour of human time passed as the all-mighty Queen of the Grimm stared at her hands, thinking deeply. If it were anyone else, the scene might have looked comedic, both nothing of what was going on inside of Salem was funny. Not for the human race at least.

  
Her idea fully analyzed within her mind, Salem closed her hands and smiled wickedly. If Cinder was to be her Right-Hand, her sword to slay the abomination that was humanity, then why not have a Left-Hand as well. A person who would protect her plans and ensure Cinder stayed on course.

  
Salem waved her hands and the map of Mistral was brought back into focus. Her eyes scanned the dots of light, this time looking at them with different parameters in mind.

  
Her Left-Hand would have to be strong, very strong, to fight against Cinder if the need arose. Not strong enough to defeat her, just enough to hold her off so the grand plan wasn’t jeopardized. Infiltration and manipulation skills were secondary for this job; they weren’t to execute any part of her plan, just keep the pieces in line.

  
Loyalty was the second critical component. She needed someone whose loyalty to her would be unquestioned. If not, either Cinder or Ozpin could turn them against her. But loyalty was not an easy thing to instill into people. They person needed to trust, respect and even love Salem and her ambitions enough to lay down their life for her.

  
The candidate would have to be young, as an adult would be too attached to the world and unlikely to aid in its destruction. On the other hand, they couldn’t be too young, as events were going to be coming to a boil in only a couple of years. She had considered kidnapping an infant and raising it to be the perfect agent of her will, but that bought a host of problems of its own, the biggest being that a baby couldn’t survive in the Grimmlands or in her dark dimension. They needed to be young, but still capable of surviving on their own.

  
Strong, loyal and a natural survivor… that was tall order for a mere human. Almost as tall as what was needed for her Right-Hand. But Salem didn’t let that stop her as she scanned the map and looked at each soul represented on it.

  
She quickly decided not to choose someone from Mistral. The chances of Cinder finding out were too great; the Left-Hand had to be kept a secret from her at all costs. There was one very promising child though, a young girl who had the potential to surpass even Cinder in combat ability. But her heart was too pure and innocent; she needed someone with at least some amount of darkness inside their soul, something that she could nurture into what she needed.

  
She dissolved the map of Mistral and brought up ones of Atlas, Vacuo and Vale. It was difficult; like with Cinder, there were several people who looked like they could work, but didn’t quite fit in her mind. There was plenty of darkness in Atlas, the snow-white military nation of the north. It existed in both the highest and lowest points of society, but all people of that kingdom were imbued with a strong sense of duty. Turning any of them, even a child, would be difficult.

  
There was darkness aplenty in the hearts of the Faunus. Decades of abuse and oppression by the hands of humans left a great deal of hatred that could be exploited. Few Faunus would cry over the destruction of mankind, but they would be opposed to the deaths of their own kind. Salem planned to wipe all life from Remnant with no exceptions. Despite the hatred, most Faunus had close-tied with each other and would be unwilling to do anything that would harm their people more.

  
Salem continued her search, looking at the areas outside of Vale. Taking someone so close to Ozpin’s base of power was risky, but she couldn’t leave any stone unturned. She noticed two powerful souls on the island off the coast of Vale, sisters from what she could tell. They both had great potential and a great sense of loss within them. That could be used to her advantage, but the bond between the two seemed very strong. Convincing one to leave without the other would be impossible and trying to take two would be too much of a risk. Plus, looking at the smaller soul, something about it seemed wrong to Salem.  
She continued looking, becoming more and more frustrated. She didn’t have decades to wait around for the perfect candidate to show up. Events would beset into motion very soon and she needed to find and prepare her quickly. She was beginning to doubt she could find the ideal child and would have to settle for a less then optimal candidate when she saw it.

  
It was right at the edge of the map-depiction of Vale, almost cut off from view. A single dot of light; surrounded by sea of blackness and far from the safety of the Vale’s walls. One of many outlaying village most likely. The child who soul was represented was strong, she could tell, very strong. A layer of darkness was hidden within, loneliness, pain and a hint of hatred towards others. Nowhere near as much as Cinder’s soul, but enough to work with. Beyond that, the child was innocent and good-natured, traits that could easily be turned to Salem’s purpose.

  
But most of all, the child was absolutely desperate for love, for purpose. She needed someone to want her, to be of at least some use to another person. Salem could give her that, purpose and a place to belong. She would have to be careful that this child more good-natured and noble instincts didn’t affect their loyalty or effectiveness.

  
It could be a lot of work with substantial risk, but looking at this young soul, Salem could just feel that this was the right one. True, that same feeling had led her to picking Cinder, but she was going to be more careful this time. She reached out to grasp the white light and begin the lengthy process of entering her dreams so as to lead her to Salem.

  
Salem retracted her hand faster than a King Taijutsu could strike, eyes widening in shock. The orb representing the child’s soul was still floating in front of her. It was not pain that had caused her to pull back, but a sudden premonition. Salem could not see into the future per-se, but could get a general idea how where an individual’s fate was going. She could tell if a person was going to have a good or a bad life, or if they were about to have a life-changing moment.

  
And the child was about to have her life change very soon; for the better. Salem could see the loneliness and sadness of the child vanishing, the darkness of her heart being replaced by a brilliant light. They would become a champion of the weak and would certainly stand directly against Salem’s plan.

  
The shift in the child’s fate would happen soon, perhaps in days, and once it did and they experience true happiness for the first time, it would be impossible for Salem to have any kind of influence. The Queen of the Grimm, who routinely took decades if not centuries to formulate her plans, had to make a quick decision.

  
Salem stared at the orb with a burning intensity as her mind raced. If she waited, this opportunity would be lost. If she seized it without thinking of all the variables first, she could end up with an unreliable agent like Cinder.

  
Salem thought hard on the decision, thinking about what would be best. Those thoughts turned to why she needed this child and what she ultimately wanted. She wanted humanity destroyed, obliterated and this child may be the key for that to happen. What was she willing to risk making her ambition come true?

  
She made her decision.

  
Salem spread her arms wide and summoned the dark energy from the many crystals with her domain. Black tendrils emerged from those crystals and gathered around Salem’s hands. Those hands were soon covered in oily, inhuman power and they reached out towards the small white orb. Those hands and the darkness around them enveloped the light and, grasping tightly, smothered it completely.

* * *

 

The girl was all alone in the darkness. She couldn’t see anything, not even her own hands and there was hardly any room for her to move.

  
But that’s what you would expect inside of a locked cupboard.

  
She had cried and screamed and begged to be let out for the few hours or so, but stopped when it was clear they weren’t going to. They were going to make her stay inside for a long this for what she did. She had been in this cupboard several times before, every kid in the orphanage had, but never for more than a couple of hours.

  
For the pain coming from her stomach, she must have been inside for almost a whole day. She was so hungry it hurt to breathe. She was also tired; there was no room to lie down and all she could do was curl up with her knees to her chest.

  
But the worse was the darkness. She had believed that she could endure it, even beat it. But each time it she had to face it, she was left completely terrified. It was different from the darkness of night; that darkness was just there. The darkness of the Cupboard seemed alive almost; alive and filled with the same cruelty as the people who ran the orphanage.

  
Why did they put her in here? All she wanted was for her only friend to not leave. She didn’t mean to throw such a big fit and she certainly didn’t mean to hit the Matron. She was just so upset and sad. The Matron didn’t have to hit her; her cheek still hurt even after a day. And they didn’t have to drag her painfully through the orphanage and shove her into the Cupboard.

  
She had learned her lesson; she would be a good girl. She would be good and not complain about the food or the cold or the beatings or anything anymore. She wouldn’t steal anymore food, no matter how hungry she got. She would do anything to be let out. She would do anything to make the pain of it all go away.

  
_Anything?_

  
The voice came out of nowhere and caused the girl to jump up, hitting her head against the Cupboard’s ceiling. She looked around the darkness frantically; there was no way that voice came from the outside. The Cupboard muffled all sound from the inside and out.

  
That meant the voice had come from inside of the Cupboard. Something was in there with her. She couldn’t see anything; all was just black before her. But she could feel something, something that shouldn’t be there.

  
The girl shut her eyes tight, for all the good it did. Even with her eyes closed the Darkness still seeped in. Had the Darkness come to life? Had it come to take her away, like the Grimm would do to children who misbehaved? She started to cry again as the fear overcame her young mind.

  
Hush child. Do not cry. There is no reason to be afraid.

  
The girl stopped her crying as she heard the soft voice. It sounded like a women, speaking very gently to her. She had an image, a memory, of a women speaking in the same way to calm her down.

  
Was that how a mother talked to their child? She really didn’t know, but she thought that how it was. It would different from how the orphanage staff treated her, with their harsh words and cold looks.

  
She opened her eyes and saw that a section of the Darkness seemed…different. She couldn’t explain how it was; it just was different from the blackness around it. Still frightening and unnatural, but there was no hatred or anger directed toward her. Looking at it, she could feel herself calm down and almost felt safe with it.

  
_Do you want to leave this place child?_

  
She looked round the tiny space again, confirming to herself that the voice was coming from this new type of blackness. She didn’t know what to, one lesson she had learned in her young life was to never trust anyone or anything. No matter what it always ended up hurting her in the end. This thing would probably be no different.

  
Probably

  
_Do you wish to leave?_

  
The girl laughed at the question, a pitiful laugh devoid of humor. It was the only laugh she knew of and even then it had been a long time since she last did it. It was just that the question was so funny; of course she wanted to leave. She hated this place with all the force she could muster. She dreamed of leaving this place almost every night, but she knew it was impossible. The adults who ran the orphanage would never let any of the kids leave without their say so. The only ones who left were kids who were transferred to another orphanage that was run by the same people. She had never been outside of this one, but she knew that they were all the same; poor food, uncomfortable bedding and mean staff.

  
They only ones who really left were those who ran away, but they had little hope of getting anywhere before the Grimm got them. There weren’t a lot around the village itself, but she had been told that they would hunt any child who tried to run away. She had never seen any of the kids who did try to run ever again, so she guessed what they said was true.

  
She didn’t know if the outside world was any better than the orphanage, but hope and dreamed it was.

  
_I can take you away from this place._

  
The girl tried to move away from the voice, a futile effort in such a cramped space. As nice as the voice sound, she just couldn’t trust what it was saying. It was too good to be true and that meant something bad would happen to her. It always did.

  
_I need you child. You’re important to me._

  
She was shocked still at this statement, tears welling up in her eyes. That couldn’t be. The Matron had said that no one would ever want her, that she was worthless. But this this gentle voice had said that she was needed. A feeling she had never felt before began to fill her chest, actually replacing the gnawing pains from her stomach.

  
Was this what it felt like to be happy?

  
The girl reached out her hand, desperate for more of this feeling, this feeling of being wanted by another person. She didn’t care if something bad happened to her. She needed more of this feeling, this feeling that filled the emptiness inside of her. She didn’t care for anything or anyone in this orphanage.

  
Except…

  
She paused, thinking about the one person in the world she cared about.

  
“What…” the words hurt her throat; it had been a day since she had had any water to drink. “What about my friend?” As much as she wanted to leave this horrible place, she didn’t want to leave her only friend behind. He had been the only one who talked to her, play with her and could make her smile. She did the same for him, doing her best to make their days just a little bit brighter.

  
The Matron had apparently noticed this and had her friend transferred to another orphanage all the way in Mistral. He was going to be literally half a world away, in another horrible place without her. She couldn’t leave him to that fate.

  
The voice didn’t reply at first, leaving the Cupboard in silence. She began to fear that she had angered the voice and it had left. She was relief beyond measure when the soft, voice returned.

  
_Did he stop the people from hurting you? Did he prevent you from feeling pain?_

  
The girl tried to come up with a response, wanting to say that he had helped her. But that wasn’t true.

  
“He tried…” He did try, the one only one who did. He had stood up for her and had received many beatings for his efforts. That was more than anyone had done for her.

  
But still…

  
_Did he stop the pain?_

  
The voice wanted the real answer and the girl had to give it.

  
“No…”

  
_I can child. I can take always all this pain .I will make you into someone better. I will make it so that no one can ever hurt you again._

  
The blackness that the voice was coming from seemed to gaze at the girl intensely.

  
_But you need to leave now. I can keep the way open only for a short time. If you refuse now, I can never come back._

  
The girl could almost hear the strain in the voice now. Whoever it was they working hard to reach her, to help her leave this place. But was she willing to abandon her only friend in the whole world?  
A though entered in mind, one that had never been there before. What was she willing to risk, to give up, for the sake of finally stopping the pain and loneliness?

  
The girl made her decision.

  
She reached out with her small hand, reaching into the darkness. And within that darkness, she felt a cold hand grab onto hers.

  
It was many hours later when the Matron finally decided that the girl had learned her lesson and unlocked the Cupboard. Her surprise and rage was something to behold when she found the small wooden space to be completely empty.

* * *

 

  
The realm of Salem was still dark and oppressive, but now contained an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Many of the dark crystal surrounding the ruined land were dull, almost completely drained of their power.

  
Salem herself was resting on a throne craved from the rock face near the Nexus. Her eyes were closed as she rested from her ordeal. Opening a direct portal to the human world took a lot of her energy; it would take years to fully replenish her reserve.

  
The product of that labor was currently on her lap, clinging to her robes and snuggling as close to her as she could. She soft breathing indicated that she was sleeping peacefully, probably the most peaceful sleep she had ever had.

  
Salem opened her eyes and examined that girl who would be her Left-Hand.

  
On the surface, she wasn’t much to look at. Even before being stuffed into that cupboard for a day with no food, she had been underfed. The signs of malnourishment were clear, from her visible ribs that could be seen under the rags she wore for clothes, to her thin boney limbs to the overall unhealthy pallor of her skin.

  
The immediate expression was that Salem had made a mistake; that this child couldn’t possibly be the one she was looking for, the one how could stand up to Cinder. But holding her in her arms, Salem was more certain than ever. Being this close, she could feel the girl’s soul burning bright and within that brilliance laid her potential.

  
Salem wondered what Ozpin would say if he saw what his precious humans had done to one of their young, at what greatness that they were willing to just throw away. He probably knew, and had a hundred excuses at the ready. Watching him burn would truly be a pleasure.

  
But first things first, she couldn’t have the girl starve to death on her. There was no food or water in Salem’s barren domain, so she would have to be sent back to Remnant soon. Luckily, she already had the perfect location pick out; it was isolated, had everything she needed and was close to a special monolith that would make communicating with her easier. That would be needed as beyond physical conditioning, the girl would need to be properly educated to perform her duty.

  
It would be a lot of work, getting her into an acceptable condition before the real training started. But it was all fine. It was all to further her goal of destroying humanity. The commitment to teaching and raising a child was only a small sacrifice when compared to her ambitions. And her ambition would come to past. And the key to it had will be a little girl that humanity had abused and abandoned.

  
Salem gently stroked the girl’s short, orange hair as she chuckled softly, envisioning the destruction of mankind in her mind’s eye.

  
The decision had been made. The course of destiny shifted and the fate of the world changed forever in that moment.

  
And while this monumental moment was passing by, 9-year old Nora Valkyrie simply slept, dreaming the happiest dreams that she could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it for the first chapter of my new story for RWBY. I hope to get the next few chapters out in a reasonable amount of time, but I make no promises. 
> 
> This story will be focusing on Nora, how different she will become thanks to Salem and how this affects her relationships with the other characters. Partners and Teams will be the same as in canon, but Nora will be the leader of Team JNPR. Because of this, I would like suggestions on what the new Team name should be, as it has to start with either an N or V. 
> 
> Read, review, leave your suggestions and tell me what you think.


	2. Unexpected Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

The passenger airship glided gracefully through the air, landing gently onto the docking station. It doors opened and dozens of prospective students rushed out, eager to get a look at Beacon Academy. They had all trained for many years to get to this point; to be worthy of coming to this illustrious institution and become one of the best, to become Huntsmen.

Only one of the young passengers didn’t immediately disembark from the airship, instead waiting until everyone else was off before rising from her seat in the back and walking slowly to the open door.

The sudden bright light of the sun temporarily blinded the girl, causing her to squint and shield her eyes with her hands. When she could see again, she got her first look at the monumental structure of Beacon Academy.

It was an impressive sight to sure. Massive stone structures that contained all the necessities that students needed to live and train in comfort while being capable of withstanding huge amounts of damage and still stand. It was true testament to human engineering and a symbol of their resiliency.

Nora Valkyrie, age 17, was impressive sight herself, especially when compared to where she had started. Gone was the thin, sick girl in rags; replaced by a strong, fearless warrior. While possessing a fairly slim and petite frame, one would be badly mistaken to assume she was weak and frail.

Underneath her pale white skin were extremely well-developed muscles, the result of years of intense physical training. Even without her Semblance, she was monstrously strong and could overpower almost anyone. Her Semblance took it even further, granting her strength beyond what most veteran Huntsmen could even hope to have. Couple that with a few other tricks and skills that she knew and Nora was confident that she was the strongest of this new batch of students.

Nora looked around the perfectly maintained school grounds and saw smalls groups of students walking, gawking at the massive structures or making idle conversations. It took a good amount of her self-control to keep a derisive sneer off her face.

This was the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses that would protect the world? This group of children were going to be ones who stood directly in Lady Salem’s way? They were just kids playing at being heroes. Did they honestly think that a good mark on a written test or a passing performance in a controlled combat situation made them ready to face down the hordes of Grimm, to try and stop the inevitable fate of mankind?

It all seemed like one big joke to her. The people of this world, a world on the constant verge of extinction, thought that such hand holding methods would be enough to save them?

It was nothing compared to what she had gone through, what she had endured. Her strength came through hard-worn experience, with lots of blood, sweat and tears. These other students would doubtlessly claim the same; that they had work hard to reach this position, but that was all a farce compared to what was needed to acquire true strength.

With Lady Salem, the Grimm and the untamed Wilds as her teachers, she had gained true strength. Strength enough to crash any who stood against her or her Lady; enough to crash any of these wannabe ‘heroes’ who had come to this school.

Nora shook her head; no matter what she couldn’t get over confident. That above all would lead to her failing in her mission and she refused to fail Lady Salem. Not after all she had given her.

And she had to remember where she was, in the very centre of the enemy’s stronghold. It would not be her fellow students that she would to be worried about, it was the Headmaster. Ozpin was the one who had done more than anyone else to hinder the Lady’s plans. His greatest weapon was not his formidable skills in battle, but rather his mind. He was always on the lookout for next part of Lady Salem’s plan, prepared to take advantage of any small flaw he could find.

If she wasn’t careful, he would find out about her and she had no illusions about what he would do to extract the information she knew about Lady Salem’s plan.

Nora looked around the grounds again, seeing more students arriving from different airships, but no one that could be a member of the facility.

Ozpin wasn’t the only one she would have to be on guard for. The teachers at Beacon were all hand-picked by Ozpin himself, chosen for their skills as Huntsmen and their loyalty to the Headmaster. While it was doubtful that Ozpin had brought all of them into his inner circle, the most capable would certainly be members of Ozpin’s brotherhood and would be on the lookout for anything related to Lady Salem.

She needed to keep a low-profile and not draw any unnecessary attention to herself. She needed to remain undetected at the school until the Vytal Festival. If she was outed beforehand, everything would be ruined. Sure, she could probably hold her own against any force Ozpin sent to capture her, especially if she went all out, but that wasn’t the point. At this phase, she was only to be an observer, to make she everything went as it should. Ozpin and his cohorts were not her primary enemy.

Nora couldn’t help but look behind her, almost imagining that the orange-eye, raven-haired schemer was right there waiting for her. That was impossible, as Cinder Falls was currently in Mistral, making preparation for her arrival at the end of the first semester. All the resources needed to take down a Kingdom were immense and she was keeping herself busy, from what she had reported to Lady Salem. Doubtless she had visited Vale before; to lay down the groundwork for what was to come and would probably come before the Haven students’ officially arrived.

But that was in the future. Her job now was to get set up in Beacon before Cinder arrived and be prepared to keep an eye on her, to make sure she was working in Lady Salem’s best interests. If she was found to working for her own benefit instead, only then would she step in.

Nora clenched her fist at this thought. This was what her duty was, her life’s mission as given to her by her savior, Lady Salem. She was not to be the Sword that would slay the enemies of her Queen, but the Hammer that would ensure that the Sword did not bend or waver in it task, ready to beat it back into shape.

It didn’t matter if the Hammer itself broke, so long as the Sword would still cut down her Lady’s enemy.

But that was for the future. Right now her priority was simply to get into Beacon and then blend in as an ordinary student. That was a task that was easy said than done, though.

Nora was well aware of her unusually upbringing and how different that made her. There were many things about human society and culture that she was unaware of and she could easily make a spectacle of herself. If she made too many obvious blunders, she would draw unwanted attention to herself and make her job even harder.

She had a believable backstory already figured out, to explain away some of her social awkwardness but she would still need to be very careful. Her best bet was get onto a team of people that she could get along with reasonable well and simply hide in the background. She would need to pretend to be a fairly open and friendly person; having a reputation as a broody loner would only draw attention to her, not divert it.

From what she had viewed of humans from a distance, plus the books she had read, a person who looked like they had dark, mysterious past would only make people more interested in them. Such a person would also be the kind that Ozpin would probably suspect first at being a possible threat and keep under close supervision. She needed to blend in as just another of the regular student; not standing out anymore then she had too.

Nora took another look at the various teenagers milling around, taking note of their clothing. She had been worried that her wardrobe would stand out too much, but given what she saw the other students wearing, that wouldn’t be a problem. Compared to the sheer canopy of colours and designs, her choice of clothes was downright subdued.

Not that she had much choice in what she wore; wearing only what she could find, make or steal didn’t leave must room for fashion. Not that Nora knew or cared for what was fashionable, but she also didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

Most of what she wore was of a dark colour and geared towards practicality. A black vest with an up-turned collar coupled with a dark purple sleeveless top. She had two detached gray sleeves covering most of her arms, with black fingerless gloves on her hands. She had opted for a skirt, figuring that she should include some ‘feminine’ apparel into her appearance. Hers was of a medium length, dark violet colour. It was simply designed, not as ridiculous looking as those ‘combat skirts’ she had seen advertised. She had a pair of black shorts underneath her skirt and a pair of black shoes on her feet.

All in all it wasn’t a bad set-up, especially for a collection of clothes that she quickly pulled off shelves of a clothing store as she was robbing it in the dead of night. 

She added two unique item of her own to this ensemble. The first was customized piece of armour, covering her back, sides and abdomen. It was made of segmented pieces, allowing for flexibility while provide decent protection. It wasn’t as elaborate or as all-encompassing as some of the armour she saw other student wearing, but it got the job done. It real purpose was to be a harness for her weapon, Magnhild, and to hold various ‘special’ grenades and other useful tools.

She had attempted to increases the protection it gave by adding a breast-plate to it, but it had proven too uncomfortable and constricting on her chest. Her breasts were apparently of a very large size, which did make clothes and such a bit of a hassle. However, from what she had read and observed, they were considered a very attraction quality for males and thus could be used to her advantage.

While she would never be a master of seduction like Cinder, she could at least attempt to use her body as a way to distract at least some of her opponents.She had cut a large diamond hole in top of her shirt, exposing a good amount of her cleavage. Her skirt also showed off some of her legs as well, creating what she hoped was a some-what alluring figure. 

Her second personal item probably ruined that image, but she didn’t care. Over top all of this was a tattered, well-worn black duster coat. Both sleeves had been torn off long ago and it had be damaged and repaired countless times. No matter how many times she tried to clean it, it still looked dirty and ragged.

Nora was not going to get rid of it, however. It was hers. She hadn’t found it or stolen it; she had _taken_ it. It was a symbol of her strength and progress and she wasn’t going to part with it, no matter how out-of-place it looked. The day she had acquired it was the day that she had finally shed the last of her human frailty and weakness.

Almost all of it…

Nora shook her head and continued forward, side stepping a tall boy wearing green. She needed to stay focused and remember all that she had learned. She had to pass the examination and then simply be a normal student until Vytal festival. No one knew who she was, so if she kept her head down and eyes open then everything should be okay. As long as nothing crazy or unexpected happen, everything should-

“Nora?”

The sudden uttering of her name from behind her struck her still in a half step. Her left hand instinctively reached under her duster, gripping Magnhild on her back.

Who? Had Ozpin already found out about her already? But she had only been in Vale for less than a week and her small robbery had gone without a hitch. Was he just that observant?

Had Cinder found out about her, about her purpose? Had she come all the way here to deal with her, be it out of jealousy that Lady Salem didn’t fully trust her or that she was a direct threat to her personal ambitions?

All these thoughts and questions swirls in the young girl’s mind as she slowly turned around, body tense and ready to fight.

But it wasn’t the Headmaster of Beacon or Lady Salem’s Right Hand behind her, or anyone that could possibly be working for them.

It was the male student she had just passed. He was tall, with black hair tied into a long ponytail and a single pink highlight. He was wearing a green and black tailcoat with white pants. He had a lithe build, but still gave off the impression that he was a dangerous fighter.

But it was his magenta eyes that gave Nora pause. They were eyes that she remembered vividly, even after all these years. She had looked into those eyes many times, finding whatever strength in them that she could during those difficult days.

Those eyes were now opened wide and were filled with a multitude of emotions, the greatest of which was hope. Hope that the girl that he was looking at was who he thought it was.

He face was the same too, though he features had grown more sharp and adult-like as he aged. Having actual food and maintaining a healthy lifestyle had done wonders for him overall. The sick, undernourished and tired boy he once was had been stripped away, leaving the handsome young man that even back then, she knew he was.

But…it was impossible. There was no way it could be him. The chances were astronomical; that they would meet here of all places after so many years…

Nora found that her throat was suddenly very dry and her words were very hoarse. But it was still audible and her question was asked, a question that’s answer she both hoped and feared for.

“Ren...?”

The airships disembarked it cargo of young, energy filled teenagers onto the grounds of Beacon Academy. Most immediately rushed to exit, eager to see the place they hoped would be their home for the next 4 years. All were filled with hope and determination, seeing this place as the next step on the road to fulfil their dreams of becoming Huntsmen.

For one Lie Ren, coming to Beacon was simply something for him to do.

Like the other student rushing pass him, he had spent years training at a combat school, working hard so that he could have a chance to come here. But it had never been his ambition to become a Huntsman, never a burning passion that forced him to go that extra mile. Sure he trained and studied rigorously, but mostly because it was a means to occupy his time.

Ren didn’t feel any great sense of pride or excitement as he slowly walked down the paved pathways, sidestepping groups of milling applicants. He didn’t have any great dream or anything really to drive him, no burning passion to make he go towards a higher goal. He didn’t what he did with his life, what his future turned out to be.

He hadn’t really cared about anything since that day; the day he lost _her._

His early life had been nothing but pain and hardship. He had lived at that horrible orphanage for as long as he could remember, with bad food and even worse caretakers. Going to bed hungry and bruised from a beating was common, along with shivering all night from the cold. The only thing the Matron and her staff truly cared for was money; spending it on proper food, clothes, bedding or heating for the children’s rooms was unacceptable.

Every day was a living hell and it was a wonder how any of them lasted any length of time. Beyond the neglect and poor healthcare, the sheer hopelessness of it all was soul crashing to such young children. He was surprised that kids just didn’t give up and die; he was sure some had, but it was remarkable how most were able to get through each day. Each child had their own way of keeping their spirts up.

Being with _her_ had been his method. He couldn’t recall how or when they first met; it seemed like they had always been together, ever since they arrived at the orphanage in the town of Hollow. No matter how hard it got, she had been there for him. Those bright eyes and wide smile never failed to make him feel better; to make him believe that today would be just a little bit better.

They did everything together: sharing their meager meals, huddling for warmth under too-thin blanket and making what fun they could in such a heartless environment. Most of the games they made up involved one being a hero who would rescue the other from an evil monster and take them to a magic kingdom, where they would live happily ever after.

It was all just fantasy, a childish game they played but deep down they wished it was true. They had no idea what the world outside the dirty walls of the orphanage was like, but they would talk about it almost every night after lights out. It had to be better out there; with good food and warm bed and nice people who wouldn’t hit them.

Deep down, Ren knew that wasn’t the case, but dreamed along with his friend anyway. With her, the days seemed a little bit brighter and the nights a little less dark. He honestly began to think that they could do it; survive that place and make it out to the bigger, better world that had to be out there.

But of course it had to come to an end, like all good things. He honestly believed that any happiness that the children felt was poison to the staff and they deliberately tried to separate the two of them. Sure, children were moved and relocated to other affiliated orphanages (no one was ever adopted, ever), but they had been together for years at that point in the same place, so why send Ren all the way to Vacuo except to make them miserable and lose hope?

Ren had fought as hard as he ever had that day, when they tried to take him way. It was a hopeless battle, one nine-year old boy against several adults; but to his credit, it did take three of them to tie him down and put him in the car. His friend tried her best as well and he saw her get a good hit on the Matron herself, but it was all for naught. This fate was beyond either of their control and it was through teary eyes that he watched the orphanage and his only friend disappear through the car window.

For the first half of the long drive south to Vale, he simply sat in silence, tied up in the backseat. He cried silently as the notion of living without his friend, without _her_ , really began to sink it. He had tried so hard, struggled as much as a young boy could, to make both of their lives better. All those times he had pretended to be a brave hero that came to rescue her from the monster had been just that; a game of pretend. 

She was all that matter to him and if he couldn’t save her when it was real, when it truly mattered…

The he was just the weak, good-for-nothing boy that the staff always said he was.

His sadness was slowly replaced with anger; pure, unadulterated rage direct at the people who made his life the way it was. Rather than driving him to scream and yell, like any other angry child, his mind became more focused. He looked around the car, searching for anything that he could use while as quietly and with as little movement as possible, testing the ropes that bound his hands and feet.

Like everything these people did, it was a shoddy job. He was able to loosen the one on his hands easy enough and was able to work on the one around his feet by pretending to sob and curl into a ball. The two men in the front barely gave a glance back; they had done this run many times and each time it was the same. Why should this time be any different?

But they never had to deal with a boy like Lie Ren before

They had gotten most of the way to Vale, traveling along the walled highway that connected the Kingdom to the towns and villages to the northeast, when Ren made his move. The road skirted along the edges of the Forever Falls and there were several twists and turns that required vehicles to slow down. Those two goons figured that since he was tied up, there was no point in the locking the back doors.

Now jumping out of a speeding car wasn’t the smartest thing a young boy could do, but Ren was more than a little desperate. It was truly foolish given that the road was surrounded by a high wall designed to keep out Grimm and the two goons could easily stop the car, get out and catch him. There was very little hope of him escape in this situation.

But Fate seemed to be on the young boy’s side. When he opened the door and leapt out, the man in the passenger seat immediately turned around in his seat and tried to reach into the back to grab him. He just missed, but succeeded in practically falling onto the driver, causing him to swerve and crash into the wall.

Ren took several minutes to pick himself up. He had tried to roll as he fell, but he was still pretty scraped and bruised from his tumble and both his left foot and the right side of his chest really hurt. He looked over at the car, smashed against the road wall and smoke was coming from the crashed front. From what he could see, neither of the men were moving to get out of the car, or moving at all.

The sound of a car approaching from the other direction shocked Ren in action. He needed to get out of here and back to the orphanage. He couldn’t trust anyone else; only he could rescue his friend. He looked around frantically for a way to escape the enclosed road way.

Luckily for him, there was a section of the wall close to where they had crashed that was in a state of disrepair and a small hole, just wide enough for him, was visible. He quickly dashed towards it, ignoring the screech of the tires as the other car stopped and the shouts from the people getting out. Every adult he knew had hurt him and he wasn’t going to take a chance with this people. He dove through the hole and into the wildness beyond, running back towards his hometown.

The untamed areas outside of the Kingdoms and fortified settlements were extremely dangerous to even fully trained and prepared adults; to a young boy with nothing but his tattered clothes on his back, it was a death sentence.

But again, Fate was with him. Not two day before, a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses had cleared that area of Grimm. While it would return to being infested with the creatures of darkness soon enough, at that moment it was as safe as any place outside the Kingdoms could be.

Keeping the wall in sight, Ren ran as fast as he could through the thick bush and rough terrain. He ran all day and all night, ignoring the pain and hunger. He added more cuts and bruises in short order, but never stopped his trek back to that horrible place he called home. He would find and rescue his friend, and take her far away; away from all the things and people that hurt them.

He would be the hero that she always said he was.

The sun was back in the sky again by the time he reached the walls of the Hollow. He made his way around to where the orphanage was, keeping out of sight of the gate and watchtowers. It was located in an isolated corner of the town, where the walls was almost as poorly maintained as the building itself. It had been many years since the Grimm had attacked the town, so the defences had been allowed to deteriorate.

There was a small hole, just big enough for a child to fit through, close to the orphanage. It was covered with bushes and near-impossible to find, but he and his friend had found it one day while exploring. They had talked endlessly about using the hole to escape, but all the stories about the Grimm on the other side stopped them.

Stopped him; _she_ had said they should try while he convince her not to. If he had just a bit of her courage, maybe this whole thing wouldn’t have happened.

No matter, he was going to make it right. His short time in the wilderness had convinced him that the adults were lying about how dangerous it was outside the walls. He could do this; sneak into the orphanage, rescue his friend and escape. In his mind it was easy, it was real and he could do it.

With more hope than he had ever had before, he crawled through the hole in the wall and made his way through the overgrown property to the main building.

What he saw there left him speechless; the entire area was swarming with police officers and social service workers from Vale. The Matron and the rest of the staff were being lead into car in handcuffs while the others children were being led away onto buses. This place had been his entire world and now that it was being torn apart, he didn’t know what to do or how to feel.

One of the milling officers spotted him and dashed towards him. Ren instinctively tried to run away, but his body was too exhausted from his long trek to get very far. The man grabbed him and began to haul him back. He tried to fight him off, but as with everything he was too weak to do any good.

He was surprised that the man didn’t simply hit him to make Ren stop struggling, just holding him tight and telling him to calm down. It took several more men, and several minutes of the social workers speaking gently to him for him to calm down, but he eventually did. The hot food they offered him helped a lot.

He was asked lots of questions as he ate and as the EMS fixed up his injuries. It would only be later that he learned the full story, but he got the gist of it at the moment.

The car that had come about the crash site had done the right thing in that situation; they called the police. As they were coming from the City, it was the Vale Police Department that they called. A patrol car was dispatched alongside the ambulance and the responding officers quickly realized that this was more than just a simply traffic accident.

The fact that a young child had been seen running into the surrounding wildness added a sense of urgency while a simply background on the two men in the car revealed long criminal records. The one in the passenger seat had died in the crash, but the driver was only unconscious.

While a search party was being organized, the survivor was quickly stabilized and when he regained consciousness, was promptly taken back to the precinct. He quickly caved in; giving up all the names that he knew and the whole nature of the organization he was part of.

The sheer scale of what they were facing was staggering, and it took most of that night for the Vale PD to plan and assemble the force necessary. At dawn, a long line of police cars left the Kingdom, traveling northeast to the town of Hollow.

So large and hurried was the preparations that while the search party was sent, it was many hours later and light was already fading, slowing their progress.

The main priority was the mission to Hollow, to arrest the mayor, the local chief of police, and the staff at the town’s orphanage and to rescue all the children there.

The exposure of the network of corrupt and abusive orphanages shocked the world to the core. The subsequent police action was international in scale, with all four Kingdoms working together to right a grievous wrong. Hundreds of arrests were made and more than a few people were promoted for their actions. It was an event of truly historical proportions that would be discussed and examined for years afterwards.

It was learned that this operation first started over 30 years ago, after the Faunus Rights Revolution. Many Faunus children were left orphaned after the fighting stopped and many places were founded to care for them. Perhaps that it shouldn’t have come as so much of a surprise that someone decide to take advantage of the situation; embezzling the money provided by the government at the expense of the children’s welfare.

What was surprising was how far this spread and the criminal depths that it went to; all the while remaining hidden from the authorities. Over the years, several of these orphanages were set up, mostly in remote village far from the oversight of the Kingdoms. They started taking in human children as well as Faunus and made profits by selling them to various illegal groups when they were old enough. The children were constantly moved around and broken down mentally so they would be obedient to whoever they were sold to. Local politicians, law enforcements and a number of Kingdom officials were bribed to either help or look the other way.

Most of the orphanages had arrangements at smaller airstrips outside Kingdom jurisdiction to transport the children around, but the one at Hollow used the main airport in Vale instead. Guards at the gates and workers at the airport were all bought off so that children could effectively be smuggled into and out of the Kingdom. It was a well-organized operation that had worked for years.

Until one little boy jumped out of a car at the wrong moment and ruined it all.

Ren didn’t really understand just how important his role was in the biggest criminal bust in Remnant’s history. Even years later, when he could comprehend the scope of what happened and how he had caused it, it didn’t matter to him.

All he wanted was to see his friend again.

He begged the police officers and to their credit, they did perform a thorough search of the area. They canvased the whole town, doubled-checked all the children they had rescued and organized search parties to sweep the surrounding region. All of the staff members were thoroughly, and none too gently, questioned on the girl’s whereabouts. 

They couldn’t find a single trace. Not a footprint outside, nor tracks outside of the walls, not even any blood stains. Both children and adults confirmed that she had been taken to the Cupboard as punishment for hitting the Matron while Ren was being taken away. Almost a whole day passed before it was opened again, to reveal that she was gone. That was just before the police arrived; the Matron had been in the middle of rage, convinced one of the other kids had help her escape, and was causing such a commotion that they didn’t hear the police arrive.

The search would go on for over a week, but within that first hour Ren knew what the truth was. He had failed; he wasn’t a great hero coming to save the princess. He was just a powerless little boy. Fate had never been on his side, not once.

Ren didn’t remember much after that; he pretty much shut down. The rest of that day, and even the next several weeks went by in a blur. He couldn’t recall with any clarity the days he spent in hospital recovering from his ordeal, or when he was dropped off at his new orphanage. It was a nice place, well vetted by the authorities and located in a quiet section of Vale’s Agricultural District. The staffs were kind and patient with him and even the other kids did their best to make him feel welcomed.

He didn’t respond to those kind overtures; he kept mostly to himself. He didn’t cry or act out or anything. He just stayed quiet and didn’t interacted with anyone more than he had too. Part of him realized how unfair and ungrateful he was being, but the larger part him just didn’t care.

Without _her_ , nothing in his life mattered.

A turning point, if it could be called that, happened three years later. 12-year old Ren was not what one would call a model student as he barely put any effort into his studies, but he was at least punctual. He always left the orphanage early, before the other kids so he could walk to school alone. It wasn’t that long of a walk to the local school, but he did often find himself enjoying.

That enjoyment was quickly spoiled by a trio of older kids who took it upon themselves to bully and harass any and all kid younger then themselves who happened to use this road. They picked on Ren often, pushing him down and hurling insults at him. It meant nothing to him; it didn’t even really annoy him that much. He had suffered much worse.

But today it looked like he was going to be spared their ‘torment’ as it seemed that they had found another victim for this morning; a local boy about a year younger then Ren. He fully intended on simply walking by and not getting involved. A big person hurting someone smaller was nothing new to him and it seemed that was just how the world worked. Nothing he could do would change that.

But something stopped him from just walking by, something that made turn back and look at the scene. The younger boy was crying, begging for the other boys to stop. Ren didn’t know who this boy was, just another face he sometimes saw.

Seeing him being abused by others brought back memories to him; not simply of his own hardships but that of his friend. She was never far from his thoughts, but at that moment she flew into the forefront of his mind. All the time when she was beaten by the staff at Hollow, times when he couldn’t save her. The one time when it mattered the most and he had failed her. Rage and anger filled the young boys like he had never felt before.

It when then that quiet, shy and reserved Ren completely snapped.

He threw his schoolbag into the face of one of the older boys as he tackled another to the ground, wailing on him with his fists. They boys were taken by surprise, but quickly retaliated. A small, scrawny boy like Ren had no chance against three opponents who were all bigger then him. Victory was beyond him, but he didn’t care at that moment. All he wanted was to hurt these boys as much as possible.

To his credit, all four had to be taken to hospital when the fight finally broken up by some adults who heard the commotion. Ren had the worst of it, but none of the other boys would be bullying other kids anytime soon.

It was only when the director of the orphanage came to see him that Ren started to regret his actions. His worry for Ren and his relief that he wasn’t seriously injured were genuine, but Ren could see the disappointment in his eyes. He was an old man, but did everything to make sure the children under his care were happy and taken care of. Ren’s behaviour was not making his job easier and he was probably blaming himself for what had happened. As much as he tried to ignore other people, he still didn’t like causing them pain when they were trying to be nice to him.

It was when a local police officer was talking to the director, discussing how no charges would be pressed, that the notion that Ren should go to a combat school was brought up. The officer remarked that Ren had fought like a devil despite the huge disadvantage against him. It would be a waste if such fighting spirit wasn’t put to good use.

Neither the director nor Ren spoke about that possibility, pretending that they didn’t hear it. It was only several days later, when Ren was released from the hospital that the director took him off to the side and asked him if combat school was something he wanted to do. The director was a peaceful man and didn’t want any of the children in his care to come to harm, but that fight was the most active and alive he had ever seen Ren. If the path of a warrior was what it took for him to heal, he wouldn’t stop him.

Ren didn’t give an answer right away. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Combat school was the often the first step to become a Huntsmen, the great heroes in all the stories. Could Ren become like that, after failed to save the one person that mattered?

Ren wasn’t sure, but what he did know was that he hated being weak, being powerless. If becoming a Huntsmen would mean that he never had to be so helpless again, then that was a good enough reason for him.

Ren made his decision.

After a few months of furious studying and physical training, Ren succeed in getting admitted to Bonfire Academy, located in an isolated section of Vale’s Agricultural District. Four years of hard training and instruction eventually brought him to Beacon, where no great emotions would fill him as it would a normal person.

Ren stepped off the main path of Beacon’s path, closing his eyes and doing the breathing exercises his therapist taught him. Dark moments of reflection like this were thankfully getting rarer; his life was in all honesty pretty good. While he had made no real friends at Bonfire, most of his fellow students had been kind and supportive of him. His hard work had paid off and he graduated at the top of his class.

His place at Beacon was almost assured, thanks to both his high grades and his victory in Vale’s Inter-Kingdom Tournament. The annual tournament brought the best from all of the Kingdom’s combat schools together into organized matches to test their skills.

Against most people’s predictions, Ren was able to win it all. The final match was brutal, against a fiery blonde brawler from Signal Academy. Every hit just seemed to make her stronger, but luckily her attacks were clearly telegraphed and so he was able to dodge most of them. Still, it was a grueling battle and he would be happy to never see that girl again.

Ren opened his eyes and started walking down the path again. It wasn’t like he was unhappy to be at Beacon; it was just that he didn’t feel any great pride or joy.

Far from the first time, he wished his friend was here. He was sure she could have gotten into Beacon easily; she had the heart of a true fighter. Having her at Beacon would make this a truly unique experience; having her would make his life better overall.

He’d often imagined what she’d look like if she was still alive. She’d probably be keeping her hair short and wearing a canopy of bright and clashing colouring, with pink being the most prominent. She was just that kind of wild and eccentric of person.

Ren stepped around a short, orange haired girl walking the other way. It was kind of funny how much she looked like….wait.

Ren spun around lighting fast, not fully trusting what his brain had just processed. There may not be a lot of them, but there were more than one short girl with orange hair in the world. He would never dare to hope. But from that single look he got of this girl, now walking away from him, he just good such a strong feeling.

A name escaped his lips without him meaning too; a name that he hadn’t spoken aloud in many years.

“Nora?”

The girl stopped dead in her tracks, a hand reaching into the tattered duster she wore. She turned her face to look at Ren, and that’s when he knew for sure.

She had grown up, of course, but her face was the same. Her hair was still short and messy; it had been the easiest way to deal with it. Her skin was pale, though not as unhealthy as it had been before. Her clothes were a mess of different styles of masculine and feminine pieces; just the thing he would expect of her.

The colours she wore were darker and more subdued then he would imagine her wearing, but that was a minor thing. Her eyes were different though; Ren could clearly remember those shining green eyes that held such warmth even in the hardest times. His memory must be off, since it was a pair of striking violet eyes staring back at him.

For a brief second he thought he had made a mistake; that this woman couldn’t possibly be his long-lost friend. But those same eyes didn’t have confusion within them. Ren was pretty good at reading people and he could see that there was both shock and recognition. This short, pale, orange haired 17-year old girl knew who he was.

“Ren?” the words were spoken softly, almost a whisper. She had spoken his name like that many times, after it was lights-out and they still wanted to talk to each other. Even after all these years, he could recognize that voice.

Tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes, emotions he hadn’t felt in a long time filling his being. His friend, his Nora, was right here in front of him.

For several second the two simply stood still and stared at each other. Then Ren practically ran forward and wrapped Nora in big hug, crying and laughing with joy. Most people who knew him would have seen this as being completely out of character for him, but he didn’t care. His Nora was back and he couldn’t have been happier. Finally, things could be right again.

For Nora, a different set of thoughts and emotions were running through her head. There was a good deal of shock and joy at seeing her childhood friend again, but the biggest one was the thought that her task of infiltrating Beacon just got a little more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it for the second chapter. I had intended it to be a bit more even between Nora’s introduction and Ren’s backstory, but Ren’s section ended up a bit longer then I intended. I hope you can bear with it as Nora will get more attention in the next chapter. Nora’s own backstory will be told in pieces throughout the story.
> 
> Nora’s clothes are basically the same as her normal pre-time skip outfit, just in darker colours and with a sleeveless duster coat over it. Her amour/harness is also a bit larger and covers more of her torso. Her differently coloured eyes will be explained later, but sufficed to say they are a visible sign of Salem’s influence on her.
> 
> This is a harem story, with Nora eventually getting into relationships with the other members of Team JNPR and RWBY. The initial focus will be on her relationship with Ren, with the other characters following over the course of the story.
> 
> As before, I would like any and all suggestion for Nora’s team name, with it having to start with an N or a V. I would like for it to follow the Colour Naming Scheme of RWBY, but it’s not critical.
> 
> Like always, Read, Review, leave your suggestions and tell me what you think.


	3. Together Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

**Chapter 3: Together Again**

Nora’s brain had to take several more seconds to fully register that yes, her childhood friend was here and was hugging her very tightly. Having another human holding her was also a very strange sensation, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. But the warm feeling the embrace was causing was not foremost in her mind. Looking to the sides, Nora could already see some of the other students looking their way, wondering what was going on.

Making a scene in the middle of the crowed school grounds was not what Nora wanted. Nora released her grip on Magnhild and placed both of her hands on Ren’s sides. She could have easily shoved him off of her, but she didn’t want to cause a bigger spectacle. She instead pushed just a little bit, to let him know that he needed to let go.

It took a few more seconds for Ren to realize what Nora wanted him to do. He almost jumped back, fearing that he might have hurt or upset her. He still kept his hands on her shoulder, almost afraid to let her go.

“It’s…it’s really you…right?” Ren was convinced in his heart that this was Nora, but the rational part of his mind stilled needed full confirmation.

Nora looked Ren in the eye for a second before looking down. She was tempted for a moment to say no, that she wasn’t who he though she was and end it right here. But that wouldn’t work; she had registered under her real name and would doubtlessly be called out by it while attending school. She would have to confront this issue directly.

Nora gave a small nod to Ren’s question before grabbing his left hand and began leading him away from the main path, across the grounds to a secluded bench she had spotted. She needed a quiet place away from other people to think about this problem.

Ren followed along without question. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions and he could barely think straight. The sheer joy and relief that his dearest friend was alive, that he hadn’t fail her all those years ago, was overwhelming to the point that he practically shut down. He simply walked behind Nora with a smile on his face. It actually took him several seconds to realize that they had stopped at a bench and that she wanted him to sit down.

Both teens sat down, hands still intertwined as an awkward silence settled in. It seemed like Nora was about to say something, but stopped herself, looking away instead. Ren opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could be said to express what he was feeling?

Ren closed his mouth and just looked a Nora, taking the time to fully take her features in. He was struck at just how beautiful she was. Sure, he may be a little bias given his strong emotional connection to this girl who he had often dreamed about, but her being gorgeous was a fact. Yes her hair was quite messy and looked like it had been forever since any product was used and that duster she was wearing was really dirty and ragged looking and she didn’t exactly smell like roses, but that didn’t matter. To his eyes, she was stunning.

And her body had filled out wonderfully too. Her clothing hid most of it, but it was still apparent to his eyes that she had a very strong, athletic build. The diamond cut of her shirt exposed a good amount of her chest, revealing creamy smooth skin. Looking closely, you could see down her expansive, wonderful cleavage and-

Ren almost slapped himself. What was he doing, thinking such thoughts about his dearest friend? His feelings towards her were pure and innocent; based on the bond of a shared childhood. Sure he had thought of her many times over the years and some of those thought may have drifted into the adult realm but now was not the time for that. He was not going to ruin this reunion by ogling her. There was so much he wanted to say to her and it wouldn’t do any good to waste time staring at those long legs and-

Ren shook his head hard, trying to physically get rid of such sinful thoughts. His emotions were all a mess right now and it seemed that everything he ever felt for Nora was crashing together all at once. He needed to get his head sorted; what would Nora think if she knew what kind of things he was imagination after just meeting her again after so long?

Nora’s thoughts were indeed about Ren, though not along the same lines as he was thinking. She was thinking about the kind of obstacle Ren being at Beacon was to her plan of blending in. She was counting on the fact that no one here knew who she was. Nora was well aware of her limitations and knew that she couldn’t masquerade as someone completely different; she was who she was and she couldn’t change that. The fact that she was a girl who had gone missing years before and now suddenly showed up at Beacon would undoubtedly raise many questions.

By simply not offering that information upfront, Nora could have put off those questions until later and deflected some to them under the guise of not being ‘comfortable’ talking about her past. That wouldn’t stop an inquisitive man like Ozpin for long, but it should have delayed him for just long enough for it to be too late.

But with Ren around, who she was would be out in the open. She doubted she could dissuade Ren from associating with her; his reaction made it quite clear that he wanted to be in close proximity to her for the time being. While it looked like Ren wasn’t someone that would naturally draw all the attention to himself, having anyone of note around her would draw attention to her. The question of their history would probably be brought up and her past would be brought to light far sooner then she wanted it to.

Nora took a deep breathe; she had to concentrate and think about this problem from all sides. Lady Salem had always told her that any situation, any variable, could be used to your advantage. Having Ren around her would make somethings more difficult, but it didn’t doom her mission right from the start. The paperwork she had submitted to Beacon was all in order and even if they noticed something off, as long as she passed the initiation, she was in. Skill alone was how one earned their place at Beacon.

If she trend very carefully, then this unforeseen situation have having a ‘friend’ could be properly handled and…

Wait…a friend…

Nora looked over at Ren, noticing the red on his face and that he seemed to be shaking his head a lot. This person was her friend, a dear friend if memory served right. His earlier reaction had shown that he was very happy to see her and eager to rekindle their bond. That meant that he would be willing to do most anything she asked, if she went about it the right way.

While he may draw attention towards her, he could also be used to shield her. Having someone who would vouch for her, to stand up for her, would be invaluable. He could provide an alibi if she had to sneak away somewhere and he would probably aid her if she had to get into a fight, no questions asked.

All in all, he could prove a valuable asset if she could use him properly. Given her lack of genuine human contact over the years, Nora had little practice in manipulating people. She had, through Lady Salem’s powers, witnessed Cinder at work many times; bending people to her will through a variety of methods. It was no substitute for the real thing, but she had a least had an idea about what to do.

Nora turned back towards Ren, giving a small smile. “It’s…good to see you again Ren. I, um, really missed you.” She internally grimaced at her delivery. How more fake sounding could she get? It would definitely tip Ren off that she wasn’t being genuine with him.

For his part, Ren immediately turned at the sound of Nora voice, smiling widely as he looked at her. The happy, longing look in his eyes reminded Nora of a puppy that was desperately seeking attention and affection from its owner.

It was…kind of pathetic to be honest and Nora was beginning to think that manipulating Ren wouldn’t be as hard as she thought it would be.

“I-I missed you too. I missed you so much…I…can’t believe that you’re here and…” Ren stopped and just kept staring at her. Nora was beginning to feel uncomfortable at that look, that intense gaze filled with strong and conflicting emotions. Ren broke eye contact, looking down at their entwined hands as he resumed talking. “I…I…I don’t even know where to begin…”

Nora followed his gaze and was surprised that she was still holding his hand. How had she not noticed that? She must have been too focused on thinking about the situation. Still, it was odd that she found it so comfortable to hold hands with a person who was practically a stranger to her.

Very odd indeed

Nora removed her hand from Ren, noting the sudden look of panic and fear in his eyes, a look that disappeared as she places her hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe you should start from the beginning? I would, um…love to know what you’ve been up too” If Ren had been paying attention, he may have caught the strange tone in Nora’s voice, but trying to catch subtle inflections in her voice was not at the forefront of his mind. He nodded eagerly and told her everything that had happened since the last time they saw each other.

For the next half-hour, Ren told her everything that had happened on that day and his life afterwards. He talked and talked, gushing about anything and everything, like he was afraid that if he stopped she would disappear. Everything he ever wanted to say to her was spoken, with little in the way of consistency.

Nora was able to get what gist of what he was saying; how he had escape from the car, that he was able to make it all the way back to the orphanage and how the police got there first and shut the whole thing down. It was an impressive feat for a child of his age and poor physical condition to undertake and knowing that he did it all for her sake caused her to have a small warm feeling in her chest.

There was one part of his story that wasn’t making much sense to her though

“Wait…so the orphanage at Hollow was shut down the same day you got back? And all the kids were immediately rescued and taken to better places?” Ren nodded to her question, not knowing for sure where all the others kids went, but knowing anywhere was better than Hollow.

Nora looked away, an inquisitive look on her face. Her mind was trying to put these events in a proper timeline. From what she was getting, the orphanage shut down within hours of Lady Salem rescuing her. Did Lady Salem not know what was going to happen? Unlikely, as she seemed to know everything. But if Nora was already going to be rescued from that horrible place, then what reason did Lady Salem have-

Every thought in Nora’s mind was disrupted by a sudden and acute pain lancing into her head. It felt like a white hot steel rod was being rammed through her temple and into the center of her brain. She bent over on the bench, hands gripping her skirt tightly while she gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying out. She could barely feel Ren’s hands on her shoulders or his voice asking what was wrong. The pain was everything and she couldn’t do anything, not even breathe until-

It was gone, just like that. The searing pain vanished in an instant, not even leaving a mild headache behind. She opened her eyes and stood up straight, looking around in confusion. She noticed Ren was also standing, looking like he was on the verge of shouting for help.

“Nora! Are you okay? Do you need anything? I can go get a doctor or something and…” Ren was in near-hysterics, worried beyond belief that Nora was having some type of attack. Nora quickly grabbed him by the shoulder, cutting off his near shouting before it drew attention to them and slowly got both of them seated again.

“I’m fine Ren, just a sudden migraine from…from riding the airship. I’ve never flown before and I guess it’s affecting me…” if Ren wasn’t so worried he may have noted that the airships disembarked a while ago and she had been fine up till now, but he was instead just relieved that she wasn’t in any more pain.

“So…what…” Nora looked around again, a clear look of confusion on her face, “…what were we talking about again?” 

Ren immediately jumped back into his story, just happy that Nora wasn’t in any more pain. The episode was quickly forgotten by the two of them and Nora didn’t even remember what she was thinking of before it happened.

Ren recounted how he had been placed in a new orphanage, of how difficult it was adjusting without her around and how he eventually enrolled at Bonfire Academy.

 “Bonfire? That the combat school along the southern walls, right?

“Yeah, have you been there before?” 

Nora looked away for a second, her thoughts going back to that day, three years ago

* * *

 

_Her hands were cut and bruised, the result of climbing the massive wall that defended Vale. It would have been easier to simply travel to one of the coastal cities under Vale’s control and taken a boat, but that wasn’t the point. This was a test, of everything she had learnt over the past years._

_She finally reached the top, exhausted. It had taken her months to traverse the central mountain range of Sanus and then fighting her way through the Grimm-infested ruins of Mountain Glenn. She was tired, but was otherwise uninjured from her long trek. Climbing the wall was actually the easiest part so far._

_Almost all of the Kingdom’s active defences were automated, a far cheaper method then keeping scores of Huntsmen on duty. As long as the Grimm weren’t being too aggressive, the City Council was happy to leave their safety in the hands of the remote-controlled heavy guns, patrolling Atlesian Knights and the sheer size of the wall itself._

_This was more than enough for the odd Grimm, but not as helpful against a lone human infiltrator. Normally this would still be insurmountable obstacle as their defence system was extensive. Luckily for her, Lady Salem had meticulously mapped out all of the Kingdom’s defence over the years with her Grimm and so she knew were all the blind spots where. None were big enough to allow a force of Grimm to breach the walls, but could allow Nora to infiltrate undetected._

_Nora stopped for a moment at the top of the wall to catch her breath, taking the time to look over the city. As it was the dead of night, her view was one of a dazzling array of lights from the multitude of buildings in the distance. For a girl who had been raised in the Wilds outside of the Kingdoms, it was a breathtaking sight._

_Nora shook her head; she wasn’t here to take in the sights. She had three very important tasks to perform; tasks given to her by Lady Salem but that were also very personal for herself. She turned her head to her left, noting the large building jutting out from the wall._

_Bonfire Academy, one of several combat schools designed to train the next generation of Huntsmen. Its location served both for privacy and also so it could serve as the first-line of defence in case of major Grimm attack. In the worst-case scenario, the teachers and students of the school would be sacrificed to hold of the Grimm long enough for the forces of Vale and Beacon to mobilize and deal with the threat._

_She doubted any of the young students knew about that particular defence policy when they enrolled. It was just the kind of cruel hypocrisy that all of the Kingdoms were founded on._

_That wasn’t Nora concern at the moment. What was her current objective was within Bonfire itself; mainly its weapon forge. She briefly touched the folded hammer on her back. It was a good weapon, but it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t hers. With the tools and resources available in the forge, she could truly make the weapon hers, turn it into her Magnhild. With such a weapon in hand, the other 2 tasks would be much easier._

_With a grin of eager anticipation, Nora jumped off the wall, falling hundreds of feet before land, her Aura absorbing the impact. This feat, which was beyond most Huntsmen, was nothing for the young girl, who immediately took off towards Bonfire._

* * *

 

She had succeeded in sneaking into Bonfire that night and was able to craft Magnhild from the resources there. She had taken several tools and Dust for later use, making sure to leave some of them in the dorm of a random student so they wouldn’t immediately suspect an outsider and start a manhunt for someone with Huntsmen-grade weapons.

It all went without a hitch. Funny thing was that she may have actually passed right by Ren’s room while she was there.

She looked back at Ren. “I…um…heard of it before…that it was a good school. How did you find it?”

Ren immediately picked up where he left off, telling of his studies at Bonfire and how he graduated at the top of his class and won the Vale Inter-Kingdom Tournament. Ren had never thought too much of these achievements, but now with Nora back, he was able to take pride in them for the first time. He may have also been hoping to impress Nora with his accomplishments and that she too would be proud of him.

Unfortunately that was not the case; given Nora low opinion of the Kingdom’s combat education system. Being the best out of a group of coddled children didn’t do much to raise her opinion of his skills; neither did his winning of one of those overly-regulated tournaments.

Still, it did prove that Ren was a cut above the rest of the teenage rabble here, so that was something. Hopefully he possessed some real skill and could prove useful to her if she needed him.

“That’s great Ren. It seems you’ve done really well for yourself” she said with an almost genuine smile. Ren blushed and rubbed his head.

“It’s…it’s nothing really. I’m sure you’ve done even better than me and…” Ren paused and his eyes widened as he remembered the one question that had been burning within him for years. “What happened? Where did you go? The police and Huntsmen looked but couldn’t find any trace of you. What…what have you been doing all these years?”

Ren’s outburst caught Nora off guard for a second, but she quickly recovered. She had rehearsed telling her story dozens of times, trying to make it and her delivery of it as believable as possible. Taking a deep breath, Nora told her tale of what had happened all those years ago.

She told a story of how after being locked in the Cabinet for several hours, she had managed to get out and escape. It was the middle of the night, so it was easy to sneak away to the hole in the town’s wall and out into the wilderness beyond. She had run for a long time in the dark before collapsing in exhaustion.

Before she could even thing about getting back up, the snapping of a twig caused her to look up and see the burning red eyes of a Grimm. Before she could even scream, the beast leapt forward and opened jaws to rip her apart. The beast stopped just in front of her and, to her shock and amazement, fell over dead. The stress of it all was too much for her and she fainted.

When she awoke, she was in a small campsite with all the small cuts from escape bandaged. Her savior made herself known, a Huntress traveling through this area and had heard her frantic running, along with the prowling Grimm. She had saved her and brought her back to her campsite. After giving Nora some food and water, the Huntress offered to take Nora back to where she had come from.

Nora pleaded with her not to take her back, back to that horrible place. She begged the Huntress to take her with on her journey, no matter where it was as long as it was away from that town. Moved, the Huntress agreed and took Nora on as her apprentice, training her as they travelled the regions outside of the Kingdoms. She learned to fight, use her Aura and make a weapon of her own. When she was old enough and sufficiently trained, her Master sent her to Vale to attend Beacon, wanting her to become a Huntress in her own right so that she could protect others with her own hands.

Nora finished her tale, quite satisfied with how she told it. It contained elements of tragedy with an uplifting ending; hopefully casting Nora is good, sympathetic light. She had paid close to Ren while talking, watching to see from his expression if any part of it was too unrealistic or unbelievable. Since Ren was already fairly well pre-disposed towards her, he would probably accept anything she said. The same was not true of other people, so testing out her backstory first was very useful.

Ren seemed to buy it all, listening with rapt attention. He face got tense at the part with the Grimm, turning to relief at her rescue and finally a small smile at her decision to become a Huntress herself. It looked like it was resonating with him, despite the vague details she offered.

He stayed silent through the whole thing, speaking up only after she was done.

“That’s…amazing.  You got out and…were okay this whole time. I wish you would have…” Ren cut himself; it would be incredibly selfish to have wanted her to contact him after all that. She had no idea that the orphanage was shut-down or where he had been sent. For all she knew, he had been taken to the other side of the world and was beyond anything she could have done. Instead she had made the best of what she had and worked hard to better herself.

“I’m…glad you’ve done so well” he said instead. Nora smiled, happy that he wasn’t questioning any part of her story. That smile vanished with his next words.

“Who was this Huntress who saved you? I would like to meet her, to thank her.”

Nora was just able to stop herself from grimacing, wetting her lips instead as she prepared her answer. This was the part of her fabricated tale that could make things difficult for her. She took a breath and gave her explanation.

“Well, the thing is…my Master hasn’t been on the right side of the law for most of her career. She’s not bad, she took care of me; it just that her way of doing things clashes with the exact letter of the law at times.” That was indeed one way of explaining Lady Salem’s plan to wipe out humanity.

Nora had spent a long time how best to explain her skills and survival outside of the Kingdoms. Saying that she did it all on her own would have been too far-fetched and wouldn’t explain how she got all of her equipment. Being apprenticed to a Huntress was not unheard of and so she decided to go with that. It wasn’t too far from the truth, as Lady Salem had both rescued her and trained her into the fighter she was now.

The problem with this approach was that the Huntsmen Academies kept extensive records on all of it graduates and Ozpin would know if the Huntress she claimed was her teacher was real or not. Despite Lady Salem’s vast information network, she didn’t have an exhaustive list on every current and recently decreased Huntsmen on Remnant. If she claimed someone who had gone missing years ago was her teacher, it would be expected of her to know things about that person that she couldn’t possible know. If anyone at Beacon happened to know that particular Huntsmen’s, things would get even more difficult.

She could have claimed her teacher was a combat school or Academy washout who had honed their skills in the Wilds, but Nora couldn’t bring herself to do that. She was naturally using her unnamed teacher as a replacement for Lady Salem and the idea of say that she was a failed Huntress, even in a false cover story, was too distasteful.

However, the notion of a Huntsman or Huntress who went outside the bounds of the law to protect the weak and bring true justice to the wicked was a popular concept in several stories she had read. A bit of further research showed that this wasn’t simply a notion created out of thin air by writers but something that did have grounds in reality. It was not unheard of for a Huntsman or Huntress to become a vigilante and break the laws of the Kingdoms for the sake of a greater good. This had more common during the early days of the Huntsmen Academies and most Huntsmen who broke the laws and stayed out of the Kingdoms nowadays were criminals in all but name.

But the concept of individual who didn’t care about exact rules and guidelines and simply did what was needed was still an attractive thing to many people living in areas where crime and corruption were common. Giving this as the origin of her Huntress teacher would reflect well on her and give a valid reason why she didn’t give out an exact name or details. It wouldn’t hold out for ever, as Ozpin would still have a vested interested in keeping tabs on as many Huntsmen as possible and would probably press her for info, but it should hold out just long enough.

Nora quickly explained this all to Ren, assuring him that neither she nor her teacher had done anything explicitly criminal, just that they had stayed away from the oversight of the Kingdoms and her teacher wanted it to keep it that way.

Nora knew she was successful as she saw Ren’s face change from a look of concern to one of understanding and even wonder. Overall she was quite pleased with her encounter with Ren so far; he had already proven useful as a testbed for her cover story.

“You’ve…done really well for yourself, Nora. Really, really well” Ren looked away as he said this, thinking comparing it to his own training. Nora nodded to herself and was about to acknowledge this fact before realizing that this may be one of those situations where your supposed to be modest and compliment the other person.

“You’ve done pretty well yourself. You’re probably one of the best applicants here and…” she started to struggle, thinking of things to say. “You look good as well with that… um…what is that?” she pointed at the strand of pink hair framing the left side of his face. It stood out with the rest of his appearance, so she guessed it must have a specific purpose.

Ren touched the pink hair with his hand, a small smile on his face. “I got this at Bonfire. Some girls were offering to give people coloured highlights and I decided to go for it. It was…” he hesitated for a moment, a blush coming to his cheeks, “it was a way for me to remember you and the time we spent together”.

All Ren got from this confession was a confused look from Nora.

“You know, because pink was your favorite colour.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, you were always looking at the one book, the one with the princess in the pink dress. You always said that you wanted a dress like that yourself and that if you could, you would have everything be pink” Ren looked again at Nora’s attire, noting that not one part of it was pink. “Well, that was a long time ago…things change I guess…”

Nora couldn’t remember such a thing and couldn’t even imagine it. Her and pink…no, she couldn’t see it at all. There was much from her past life that she couldn’t remember and to her that was a good thing. She was completely different from that weak little girl, better in all ways.

Still, Ren seemed to be reacting negatively to her response. She needed to do some damage control quick; she couldn’t afford to do anything to upset him at this time.

“Well it, um, looks good on you. It really…brings out your eyes” Nora was just thinking of the first thing that came into her mind, though the pink strand really did highlight his magenta eyes quite well. The smile Ren gave let her know that she was successful; she needed to be careful of conversational pitfalls like that. There was just so much about talking to other humans that she didn’t know, so many ways she could accidently insult or offend someone without meaning too.

“Ren, there actually something that I really need your help with” Nora spoke with the sweetest tone she could muster. Ren immediately gave her his full attention, eyes shining with determination to aid her in whatever she needed.

“Anything…I’ll do whatever I can”

“Well, since I was raised outside of the Kingdoms, there a lot I don’t know; about society, culture and just how to act,” she looked away for a second, making sure to look just a bit vulnerable, “I could really use some help to make sure I don’t make a mistake and make a fool of myself or something. Can you help me?” she looked into his eyes with what she hoped was a pleading look.

“Of course! I’ll help make sure you fit right in” Ren declared, with all the vigor and determination of a knight swearing an oath to his queen.

It was…quite pathetic; that he was so willing to anything for the sake of a memory of a girl that, to Nora, was clearly gone. Still, it was useful for what she need and she had to admit, it was kind-of nice.

Before she could say anything more, a loud explosion sounded through the air, causing Nora to immediately jump up and reached for her weapon. Ren looked at her in confusion, not seeing what the problem was. He still got up after a few seconds and followed right behind her as Nora took off towards the source of the explosion.

Nora’s thoughts were racing as she moved towards the explosion site, which seemed to be right at the school’s entrance. Had Cinder already launched her attack? No, it was way too early for that. Unless she had lied about how prepared she was, Cinder wouldn’t be close to launching her plan. Besides, a large part of it depended on it being the Vytal Festival, which was still months away.

Reaching the fountain in front of the school after a few minutes, Nora quickly spotted the smoking crater. Scanning the immediate area, she didn’t see any sign of the fiery schemer, nor anyone who could be working for her. All she saw was a blonde-haired boy standing off to the far side and a girl in red lying next to the crater. The boy hardly looked like he could be working for Cinder, or be a threat to anyone. It looked like he was walking toward the girl in red, but stopped and turned around as soon as Nora came running up.

Beyond that, there was no one else around; no other students coming to see the commotions or any staff member checking to see if everything was all right. Did no one care that there had been a potentially dangerous explosion right outside the school?

Nora looked back at Ren as the boy in green caught up. The confusion on her face must have been obvious, because he immediately started to explain.

“Stuff like this happened all the time back at Combat School and I bet it’s the same here. Barely a day went by without someone setting off an explosion or a fire or smashing down a wall by accident. I was shocked by how casually it was handled at first, but after a while you get used to it”.

Nora could only stare at Ren incredulously before shaking her head. The humans of Remnant were just weird.

Deciding that she wasn’t going to be so careless, Nora walked up to the crater and the girl in red. A quick examination showed that the explosion was probably from a fairly small amount of Red Dust; makes a big sound, but little actually damage beyond some scorching. Some fool must have their Dust improperly secured; a very basic mistake that should get them kicked out right away in Nora’s eyes.

Movement from the girl on the ground brought Nora’s attention to her. Beyond being a bit sooty, she seemed completely fine, so Nora had no idea why she was just lying there. Getting closer, she was able to get a better view of the girl’s appearance.

Black and red were the main colour scheme, with the most prominent items being a bright red hood and one of those ridiculous combat-skirts. Her hair was short like her own and was a mix of black and red. She looked very young, too young to be a student at Beacon.

The girl must have sensed her presence, as a pair of large silver eyes suddenly opened and stared at her. After a few seconds, the girl sat straight and quickly started to apologize.

“Oh my God, I wasn’t in your way, was I? I’m so sorry! I was just thinking about how bad this day was going, what with my sister abandoning me and then some crabby girl started shouting at me and then I exploded and…” the girl when on and on, relating a series of events in such a way as to make it impossible to follow. Nora looked over to Ren for help, but he could only shrug. Despite his earlier declaration of help, he really wasn’t that knowledgeable on how to talk or deal with other people.

Luckily this girl still had to obey the laws of nature and eventually she stopped her rambling to breathe. Silence filled the air as a large blush filled the young girl’s face as she realized that she had been ranting towards a pair of complete strangers. Nora wanted nothing more than to just walk away from this strange girl, but decided that now would be a good opportunity to attempt a social interaction with a stranger.

Slowly and a bit awkwardly, Nora extended an open hand toward the girl. The silver-eyed girl looked at the out-stretched for a moment before giving a wide smile and grabbing it. Nora attempted to pull her up, but misjudged how much strength to use; the girl was lighter then she expected. The girl was lifted completely off the ground for a few seconds before Nora was able to set her down properly.

The girl looked surprised for a second before her smiled returned.

‘WOAH! You’re really strong! You’re probably as strong as my sister. Yang has a habit of giving me crushing bear-hugs. She always grabs and hugs me with way too much force, no matter how many times I tell her and…” The girl stopped in mid-sentence and closed her eyes for a second, breathing deep. She re-opened her eyes and smiled right at Nora.

“My name is Ruby Rose” she said in a much slower, calmer voice, “what’s yours?”

Her question hung in the air for a second, as Nora decides how exactly to respond. A short and simple response would probably be best; she didn’t want to get too involved with this girl.

“Nora Valkyrie…and this Ren,” she pointed to the green-clad boy behind her, “we’re here to take the application test for Beacon. I’m…guessing you’re here to do the same?” Personally Nora didn’t think that anyone who looked or dressed like that could become a Huntress, but decided to play it safe for now.

The girl, Ruby, nodded her head vigorously. “Yup, I’m here to become a Huntress. It’s been my dream since, like, ever. I hope we can be friends!”

Nora absolutely no idea how to react to that; this girl wanted to be friends? She didn’t know anything about her or what her personality was like. They could be completely incompatible, something Nora was already sure they were. It seemed like such a foolish thing to want.

“Right…can I have my hand back?” Ruby noticed that she was still holding Nora hand, quite tightly in fact. She gave a little yelp as she quickly let go, apologizing profusely. Nora didn’t pay her any mind; she was much more concerned with the strange tingling feeling in her hand. She had belatedly realized that it had started feeling odd when she grabbed Ren’s hand and now it was here again. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was a bit unsettling. It definitely warranted further investigation.

When she looked up again, she saw that Ruby was still standing there and an awkward silence had fallen over the trio. Ruby shuffled back and forth, unsure of what to do next.

“So…I got this thing!” Ruby reached behind and grabbed a mechanical device Nora had failed to see. In an instant, it extended and unfolded in her hand, becoming a large scythe whose blade easily embedded into the ground.

Nora took half a step back in surprise and almost reached for her own weapon before realizing that, given her relaxed posture, Ruby wasn’t going to attack her.

Nora growled silently at herself; this was the third this day that she had gotten worked up and almost drawn her weapon over nothing. Was she so off-balance, being here in Vale? She needed to pull it together if she was to fulfill her mission.

“This is my sweet-heart, Crescent Rose. She’s a scythe combined with a customisable, high-impact sniper rifle.” The other two just looked at her. “It’s also a gun.”

“…I see” Nora wasn’t sure what was going on. Was it just a common thing for people to pull out their weapons at random here?

Ruby stepped forward, an eager expression on her face as she eyed Nora up and down.

“Soooo, what do you have?” Ruby was right in Nora’s personal space, unsettling her quite a bit. She looked over to Ren for help.

Seeing her plight, Ren stepped forward, both hands raised in the air. Before Nora could ask what he was doing, a pair of green handguns appeared from his sleeves. Each had a curved blade folded underneath each barrel and an extended magazine.

“This is StormFlower: They’re automatic handguns with sickle blades for close-combat.”

Ruby immediately turned her attention from Nora and onto Ren, moving closely to get a better look and asking a million questions about their design. Nora gave Ren a smile of appreciation, one that he returned.

“They look so cool! What’s there rate of fire? Do you have specialized ammo for them? Oh, you can combine your attacks with Nora’s?” Ruby was practically jumping up and down, eager to get as much information as possible. The last question brought a thoughtful look to Ren’s face.

“Actually…I don’t know what Nora’s weapon is” The words were barely out of his mouth before Ruby vanished in a swirl of rose petals and was again right in Nora’s face, whose smile was now replaced with an annoyed frown. She gave a pointed looked to an apologetic Ren before turning her attention to Ruby.

“Can I see? Can I see? Please?” Ruby pleaded with an almost hungry look on her face. Nora was just an inch from just walking away from this very odd and annoying girl. She doubted it would hurt her standing if she had a less then amiable relationship with one person. That was also counting on that she was able to pass Initiation, which Nora was beginning to seriously doubt that she could.

In her mind, this girl was being extremely foolish; just showing off her weapon to random people was just absurd. She had to have spent years making, training and developing her fighting style with that weapon and to just reveal it all to people who could use it against her? Someone with that much lack of foresight was clearly not ready to be a Huntress.

Still, this was an opportunity to examine another Hunter-grade weapon and every little bit of information was valuable in her situation.

So, with a small smile on her face, Nora reached around under her duster one more time and grabbed her weapon. She pressed the mecha-shift switch before throwing Magnhild into the air, surprising Ren and Ruby. Nora’s weapon shifted into its hammer form and Nora daftly caught it as it fell, spinning it around a few time to add a little flourish to her display.

“This is Magnhild” she held her weapon out with pride. While it didn’t look like much, she valued practicality over aesthetics; it was definitely a well-built and formidable weapon.

“Ooooohhhhh” Ruby looked up and down the war-hammer with look of appreciation and Ren was also taking note, looking quite impressed.

“It’s also a grenade launcher.” Nora was okay with revealing that piece of information; she was going to have to show that off sooner or later.

Nora had been expecting a reaction from Ruby, but what she got was not what she was expecting. Nora was fairly knowledgeable about human anatomy and so was pretty sure that it was impossible for a person’s eyes to get that big and wide. And…were those stars in her eyes?

“That…is…so…COOL! How did you integrate it? And how did you stabilize it all? Oh, oh, what composition of Dust do you use for the projectiles?”  Somehow the silver-eyed girl was ever more excited than before, if that was even possible. Nora was a little disturbed, but pressed on with her plan, holding Magnhild out before her.

Ruby, in her weapon-crazed state, reached out to grab the offered weapon. Unconsciously, she held out her own weapon and Nora grabbed that, trading with her. The moment, Nora let of Magnhild, the immense weight of the weapon dragged Ruby to the ground. Her plan to discover all the secret of weapon were quickly replaced with desperately trying to simply stand back up with such a heavy load.

Ren just barely stifled a laugh; he saw what Nora had done. Ruby had started to get on his nerves too, so this little joke was well-deserved in his eyes. It wasn’t cruel by any means and Ren was happy that Nora still had a good sense of humor.

As soon as Ruby had hit the ground, Nora started to fully examine Crescent Rose. She swung it a few time to get a feel for it, finding that it was very well balance. She found the switch that turned into a rifle and hefted it to her shoulder. From what she could tell, the gun’s scope was meticulously sighted, making the gun quite accurate over long range. It could be fired while in scythe-mode, embedding the blade to provide a stable firing platform.

Nora nodded to herself; it was quite an impressive piece of weaponry. Now, what was the caliber of bullets it used?

“WHOH! This thing is super heavy. You must be crazy strong to be able to wield; probably stronger then Yang.”

Nora whirled around in surprise. There was Ruby, standing up with Magnhild in her hands. It was clear that she was struggling to hold the hammer’s full weight, but the fact she had gotten up at all with no help proved that she was quite strong.

Nora weighted Crescent Rose in her hand, feeling its own weight. While nowhere near as heavy as Magnhild, she realized that had a good deal of weight itself. She looked Ruby over again. She was short, being only slightly taller than Nora’s 5 1”. Her figure didn’t appear to be as muscular as her own, but she had to be quite strong to wield her scythe. If she had to guess, she probably relied on speed to get in close, hit the enemy hard with her blade before retreating to a safe distance to snipe.

Nora frowned; not at Ruby, but at herself. She had obviously underestimated his girl, assumed from her appearance and demeanor that she was a weak fool. But if she had even a small chance of getting into Beacon, they she would have to have some skill.

She had underestimated a potentially opponent, a fatally mistake in any circumstance. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake like that; not when Lady Salem was counting on her.

She shook her head and smiled as best she could at Ruby, who didn’t seem the least bit unset over her little ploy. Nora took Magnhild from Ruby, to the girl’s visible relief, and handed back Crescent Rose. She didn’t get as much time to examine it as she would have liked, but every little bit of information would help.

Ren was also a bit shocked that Ruby was able to lift Nora’s weapon and was beginning to appreciate just how strong both of these girls were. If this was just a taste of what Beacon was like, it was shaping up to be even crazier then Bonfire.

That thought reminded Ren where they were and what they were supposed to do. He quickly walked up to the girls.

“Hey I think we need to head to the auditorium now. That’s where we going to get instructions about Initiation. If we don’t get moving now, we may miss it.” Both of the girls nodded, holstering their weapons and following Ren’s lead toward the main school building.

“Soooo…ummmm…” Ruby looked at Nora, wanting to continue their conversation but was having difficulty now that her weapon mania, and it’s accompany dose of courage, had passed.

Nora was the one to pick it up. “So, what did you use to forge your weapon?” Nora had not gotten as good of an examination of Ruby’s weapon as she had planned, but figure that since she was so open with showing it off before, that she might tell her everything.

This turned out to be true, as Ruby happily relayed the entire forging process of Crescent Rose and all the features she had put into it. Nora listened intently, smiling as she marvelled at the naivety of this girl, giving up all her secrets to a stranger.

Ruby took that smile as Nora being interested in what she was saying and continued her detailed explanation with gusto. She had started getting into the specifics of the gun’s feeding systems when they finally entered the auditorium.

Hearing her sister’s voice, Ruby parted ways with Rena and Nora, promising that she would talk to them again later. Nora promised the same before turning around and walking with Ren to find a space to view the stage.

She was pretty sure that she wouldn’t be keeping that promise. While she wouldn’t call their interaction as being a negative experience, she wouldn’t go out of her way to spend more time with her. With any luck, they interactions at Beacon would be minimal.

Unfortunately for Nora, Ruby Rose had a very different take on what their relationship was and had her own plans for their future interactions.

Ren and Nora were able to find a space close to the back that still gave a good view. Nora was a little apprehensive of being in a room with so many people; not that she was shy but that she just wasn’t used to being around so many people at once. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was surrounded by potential enemies.

The sound of a microphone tuning brought her and everyone else’s attention to the auditorium’s stage. Silence fell over the crowd as a grey-haired man wearing spectacles and a dark jacket walked to the centre of the stage with the stern-face Professor Goodwitch at his side. Few, if any of the teenagers present had met the Headmaster of Beacon Academy before today, but they all recognized him immediately.

Professor Ozpin began his speech, but Nora wasn’t paying them any attention. Her full focus was on the man himself, the one who stood in her Lady’s way. She had never met him before this day and while he had never done anything to her personally, she felt an immense hatred flow through her.

She had been told of Ozpin, how he led the defence of humanity in one form or another and protected all that it stood for. That included the greed, corruption and the immense amount of pain and suffering they willing caused to each other. The Grimm were often called the creatures of darkness and the embodiment of evil, but they didn’t have a choice in their actions.

Humans did have a choice and they chose, again and again, to lie, cheat and kill each other on a daily basis. They proved, over and over, that they didn’t deserve the life they had.

Despite the logical part of her mind telling her that it was impossible, it was so easy to blame Ozpin himself, to hate him for everything she had endured at the orphanage. She knew that all the members of the orphanage had received their just punishment, but had done little to satisfy her. Switching her hate over to her Lady’s nemesis had been a natural transition.

Nora could feel the hatred building within her, her desire to just jump forward and kill this man burning within her. She kept this impulse in check, though the effect was noticeable.

 Her violent eyes darkened into a pitch black colour and the veins in her neck and around her clenched fists took on a visibly darker colour. If someone would to look at her, they would think her blood was some kind of oily, black ichor.

Not unlike what the Grimm had.

Thankfully everyone, including Ren, were completely focused on the talking Headmaster and didn’t notice this unnatural display. Nora didn’t mean for this to happen, it was just a reaction when her iron-clad grip on her emotions slipped.

“-but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far.” Ozpin was wrapping up his odd speech. “It is up to you-” The Headmaster suddenly stopped mid-sentence and started looking over the crowd with an intense look; almost like he was looking for something.

Nora immediately realized what she had done and let go of her anger, reverting her eyes and blood back to their original colour. She looked away from the stage and shuffled quietly behind a taller student in front of her. She held her breathe and prayed she hadn’t screwed up her mission already.

Several long seconds passed as Ozpin’s gaze sweep the crowd of hopeful students. Several people started to shuffle nervously as the silence grew longer and more awkward.

Eventually, Ozpin focused forward again.

“It is up to you to take the first step.” With that final word, Ozpin turned around and immediately left the stage. Professor Goodwitch spared a brief look of concern his way before taking his place at the microphone.

“You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed.” With that, the Headmistress turned and left as well, leaving the prospective students to talk among themselves and slowly filed away to the ballroom.

Nora let out the breath she had been holding. Stupid, stupid! She had been told, over and over, how perceptive Ozpin could be and that she had to be especially careful around him. Yet the first thing she did was to lose control of her emotions and almost out herself right away. While Ozpin was not universally popular in the Kingdom, very few people held such animosity that it could be sensed. She might as well have held up a sign proclaiming her loyalty to Lady Salem and her cause against humanity.

“That was…odd. I wonder if he’s always like that.” Ren’s voice brought Nora back to the present. She took several deep breaths and rolled her shoulders to release all the tension. For now, she was still safe.

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s find a good place to sleep for tonight. It will probably be crowed and I would like to secure a spot that a little private.” If standing in a crowded room was unsettling for her, then she didn’t want to imagine what sleeping in close proximity to so many people would be like. It was probably going to be a rough night for her.

No matter, she would deal with it all the same. For Lady Salem, she would bear any burden

 

 Ren nodded, not relishing the thought of sleeping close to a group of strangers, and the two followed the flow of moving students towards the ballroom.

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to set on this first day at Beacon; it had flown by faster than anyone could believe. After retrieving their luggage and storing their weapons in the lockers provided, most of the student got changed and got their beds ready.

Ren entered the empty showers with his towel, pajamas and favorite brand of shampoo in a bundle under his arms. He was a bit surprised that no one else was taking advantage to clean up before bed. Ren was someone who took personal hygiene quite seriously, after the squalor and filth he had endured at Hollow. But as he understood it, few people bothered to bring toiletries with them. It just wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when one was preparing to enter a school dedicated to fighting. Plus Beacon was going to provide everything if they succeeded in becoming students, so it wasn’t something vital.

Still, he was very glad he and Nora had been able to find a fairly secluded spot on the second level of the ballroom. With almost everyone choose to sleep on the main floor, it was going to be not only cramped but also wouldn’t smell very nice.

Ren had been quite hesitant about leaving Nora behind; he was almost afraid that she would disappear if he took his eyes off her for too long. But it was a fact that she was back and he doubt that she like it if he was being super clingy. He could easily stand being away for quick shower.

Ren took the shower stand at the far end and, after laying out all his items, striped down and stepped in. The water quickly warmed up and he let the water soak his body.

After of minute of just standing there, Ren’s shoulders started to shake and his knees began to buckle. A second flow of water started to fall, one colder and filled with emotions. It mixed with the hot shower water and swirled around the tiled floor before going down the drain.

Ren didn’t cry that day, when he thought Nora was gone forever. Nor any time afterwards, instead just keeping it all bottled up inside. He had almost broken down when he saw her again, but managed to hold on.

Now, alone in a shower stall, Lie Ren finally let it all out, falling to his knees and began to cry his eyes out. All the pain he had felt, the years of loneliness and self-hate towards himself for failing Nora when she needed him the most. Time had healed that wound somewhat, but it had always been there.

But mixed with those tears of anguish were tears of joy. Nora was alive and she was here with him now. She had been the one ray of light in a dark part of his life and with her gone everything had seemed so dull and lifeless. With her back, he was starting to feel happiness and joy like he had never felt before.

Perhaps he was reacting too strongly, getting too wrapped up and focused on the memory of a girl who had obviously changed a lot over the years. But all those times she tried to make him smile, to make him laugh, to give him hope in what looked like a hopeless situation; that meant a lot to him.

 As he was sitting there, letting all his repressed emotions out to be washed away, he made a vow. This time he would be there for Nora, the girl that he loved and he would not only protect her, but make new memories with her.

* * *

 

Nora lend on the second floor railing, looking down at the mass of students getting ready for bed. Some were talking or laughing with each other while others were already laying down for sleep. They had all surrendered their weapons and armour and were relaxing, feeling safe while in Beacon’s walls.

A full barrage from Magnhild from this angle could wipe most if not all of this wannabe Hunters away. That would reduce the number of students available to defend Beacon and the sheer confusion and controversy would be so great that Ozpin may be forced to resign, limiting how much he could counter Cinder’s attack. If she was luckily, she may even be able to get out alive.

But that wasn’t Nora’s mission; she was only to observe and gather information. Plus she had been forced to give up Magnhild and her armour and place it in one of those metal lockers. She felt the absence of her weapon keenly and she couldn’t get comfortable in a room filled with strangers without it. But she had been able to retrieve her duffel bag, which contained the stolen Lien, Dust, weapon tools, clothing and most importantly, her Peace. It was sealed away in a hidden compartment of her bag, but just having it close by made her feel a lot better.

Sensing someone approaching, she turned her head and saw Ren walking towards her. Despite her mixed feelings about him, she was glad that he had returned. It helped to calm her in these situations, to be around lots of other people who were, in essence, her enemies. Having someone she could trust, to a degree, was proving quite valuable in keeping her calm and focused in such a new environment.

But did he really need 30 minutes to clean and wash himself? He said he would be right back, but it seemed like he had taken forever. Looking at him, it seemed Ren’s eyes were all red and puffy. Did taking a hot shower do that? She had never had one before; she simply bathed in whatever pool of water was closest and then only when she was distractingly dirty. Warm, running water was a novelty to her and she would have to ask Ren more about it later.

Nora also noticed that he had changed into a different set of clothes, a black T-shirt with baggy gray pants. That reminded her that she should change as well. She found the concept of sleeping in a separate set of clothes specifically designed for bed strange; better to simply wear your combat clothing so you would be ready for anything that may happen during the night.

But this was an accepted custom in the Kingdoms and so she had to follow along to avoid unwanted attention. Luckily, she had remember this when she was robbing that clothing store and made sure to grab some sleepwear while she was there. She took off her duster and started removing her footwear and gloves, placing each item by her bedroll.

Ren reach their sleeping area and opened his mouth to speak before thinking against it. After all the emotions he had let out, he didn’t know how to go about expressing that into words to tell Nora. It probably wasn’t best to lay his heart bare to her when they had just reunited; they had all year to reconnect. Ren set his clothes and toiletries into his bag before sitting down on his bedroom. It was getting late and they would need their sleep for Initiation tomorrow.

Ren looked over at Nora’s bedroll; his and everyone else were using bedding provided by the school for this night, but Nora had brought her own. Getting a closer look now, he could tell it was well used and had several tears that were hastily repaired. Looking at his bedding, pristine and almost new, the contrast was clear.

Ren looked off to the side and clenched his fist. While he had been sleeping in a warm, safe bed, Nora had been out in the Wilds, sleeping on the ground with danger around every corner. While he was moping around feeling sorry for himself, she had been surviving in the most dangerous places in the world.

As much as Ren wanted to confess to Nora about all the feeling he held for her over the years, their time apart had created a gulf between them. He had to admit that this girl was practically a stranger, though he was adamant that she was still the Nora he knew and loved. He needed to understand her and who she was now. She had been pretty vague on the details of her life in the Wilds and he could understand that; he doubted it had been a pleasant time out there. But he wanted to know, wanted to connect with her and be as close as they had been before.

But he understood that it wasn’t something they could solve in a single night, especially the night before Initiation. He would have lots of time to talk, tell stories and to just spend time with her while at Beacon, so no need to rush things.

He turned towards Nora, intending to ask her what she thought Initiation might be and to see if they could start thinking up a plan to ensure they were on the same team before going to sleep.

His words caught in his throat and his eyes bulged at the sight before him. He had been wondering if she was planning on changing into her pajamas or if she even brought pajamas with her. Evidently she had and had decided that now was the time to take off her clothes. Without a hint of hesitation, Nora lifted her shirt over her head. Her skirt and shorts followed, tossed to the ground beside her bedroll and leaving her standing before Ren with only her bra and underwear on.

Ren quickly looked around to see if anyone else was watching. Luckily, few people had chosen to sleep on the upper level and none in the area they were at. With most of the lights out, it was impossible for the people below to see anything, if they even had a reason to look up. Turning his head back around, it was Ren and Ren only, who would bear witness to this incredible sight this night.

And what a sight it was. White rays from the shattered moon shone through the nearby window and seemed to radiate with Nora’s pale skin. With his sharp eyes, Ren could see every line and contour of her body. As he was growing up, his thoughts of Nora had often turned to imagining what she would look like if she was alive and, occasionally, those thoughts took a turn into the adult realm. He wasn’t that he wanted those thoughts in his head, it was just that she was the only girl he had feelings for and they just popped into his head.

But his wildest imagination had nothing on this reality. He mouth hung open and his face started to turn a bright red as he took in more of the sight before him. If pressed, he would have admitted that many of the girls at combat school and those he had seen while at Beacon were pretty; none could hold a candle to the girl before him.

Her bra and panties were a deep black colour, which complemented her skin nicely. Her breasts were actually larger then he had initially though, the cut in her shirt only giving a hint of the treasure within. Looking closer, it seemed that her bra might be too small for her, judging from the slight overflow of soft flesh over the top of dark fabric.

The still functional part of Ren’s brain was smart enough to grab his pillow and move it over his crotch. While completely oblivious to her own actions, Nora was having a very clear effect on him.

He had noticed before that Nora had a good amount of muscle on her, but he could now see just how well-developed she was in that area as well. She definitely had more muscle tone then he did and probably more than most of the students he had known at Bonfire, male and female. Given how heavy her weapon was, it wasn’t that surprising.

What was surprising was how it all seemed to fit her so well. She still had a slim and curvaceous body and her muscles only added, rather than subtract, from her physical beauty. As Nora knelt down to reach into her duffel bag, Ren watched her muscles move as she did this simple action. It was mesmerizing and Ren found himself gripping his pillow tighter.

Nora stood back up again, having retrieved what she wanted from her bag, and turned her back to Ren. The young man almost passed out from the view, as her panty-clad rear was just an arm’s length way from his face. Ren averted his eyes upward, looking away before he did something stupid.

He found something on Nora’s body that took his mind off her body. On the upper part of her back, just below her shoulders, were three large red diagonal marks. For a moment Ren though they might be tattoos, but the shape of those marking were unmistakable; Grimm claw marks, specifically a Beowolf. He had seen plenty of pictures of Grimm and their natural weapon in class at Bonfire, along with the impact they left on the human body.

They were scars, wounds left from an attack. Ren gripped the pillow tighter, though now for a different reason. His education had all be in the classroom or in controlled environments; Nora had been out there fighting and bleeding against the Grimm. There was such a distance between them, in training and experiences, and he didn’t know how to bridge it.

Back to the scars, it was strange that they were bright red. Even without the accelerated healing of Aura, it should have healed with pale white scar tissue. Not only did they look fresh, being the colour of blood, but the skin still looked as smooth and unblemished as the rest of her body. Aura could heal wounds without a scarring, but it wouldn’t affect the skin’s colour.

Ren’s hand began to move, reaching out to touch those strange marks to see if they were real. He pulled his hand back lightening fast; realizing just how that would have looked with Nora had turned around. He mind and body was just completely out of whack by just being in this girl’s presence.

Nora glanced over her shoulder at Ren. She saw that he was holding his right hand tightly with his left and it looked like his face was red for some reason. Strange, but it wasn’t something that she needed to dwell on. What she wanted to focus on was the object in her hands.

It was a dark gray shirt, well-made and it was the proper size to fit her. She had picked it out as it looked like it would work as casual sleepwear. But given that she was in a hurry to rob the store, she had failed to notice a key aspect of the shirt.

It had a logo on the front, a hammer with a lightning bolt through it. She found herself liking that symbol and, after noticing how many students displayed personal symbols, she started considering making that hers. It fit her remarkably well, though she would have changed the colour to something other than pink. But the hammer symbol was only part of the shirt. The main feature was the four letter word: Boop.

 Beyond it being a strange word to have on a shirt, something about that word made something in the back of her mind stir: something from the orphanage at Hollow, before she met Lady Salem. Thinking about it, she realized that she couldn’t remember many distinct things from that time; everything after Lady Salem saved her was crystal clear but her time at Hollow was murky. She remembered Ren and being friends with him and how cruel the staffs were, but specific events were hazy. All she really had were her emotions, the raw hatred and anger towards that place and the people who ran it. That had been enough for her, but with Ren here now, she was wondering what else there was.

She looked over her shoulder again, not sure how to ask what she wanted. She never had a question like this before, but something made her want to know.

“Ren…” though only a whisper, Ren shot his focus to her, “Who…I mean…what kind of person was I back at Hollow?”

Ren was both relieved that she hadn’t seemed to notice his staring and confused by what she was asking. Nora was…Nora. It wasn’t something that could be summarized into a few words and really she would be the expert on what kind person she was, since this was about herself.

Did she…not remember what had happened?

Ren looked down, contemplating. She remembered both him and Hollow earlier, so really this was about the smaller details. He really wasn’t that shocked that she didn’t recall some of what had happened at the place; the Gods alone know how he often wished he could forget about Hollow.

He thought about it for a few seconds, thinking about who Nora was to him back then, and then gave his answer.

“You…you were amazing. You were always upbeat and cheerful, not matter how hard things got. You were always trying to make me and the others smile and tried to make sure we had enough food and…” Ren paused, looking right into Nora’s eyes, “you gave me hope, the strength to keep going. You were always doing random things, like hanging upside down or touching my nose and saying ‘Boop’.”

“Boop?” Nora asked.

“Yeah, it was non-sense with no meaning but…it was often what I needed. It made me forget, for a brief time, how terrible my life was. You were a cheery, upbeat and completely random girl.”

_And I love you._ Those words Ren left unsaid.

Nora frowned for a moment. Cheerful and random, that was who she was? That seemed…odd. Not wrong, something in the back of her mind confirmed that what Ren said was true; it was just that it was so different from how she viewed herself now.

Nora hated her past self; hated how weak she was and was powerless to stop the pain and suffering she had been. Thanks to Lady Salem, she had gain true strength and she was happy to leave that pathetic little girl, and everything she was, behind.

But now, with a Ren here and her talking and engaging with other humans, something within her was stirring. She didn’t know what it was; it wasn’t bad per se, but it was unsettling. She looked down at the shirt again, staring at the logo and thinking deeply for several moments.

Eventually, Nora decided to not worry about it; it was a small thing after all. She turned the T-shirt around and put it on. She heard Ren let out what seemed like a sign of relief, though what for she had no idea.

“Ren…” she turned her head to him again and gave a small, but genuine smile, “…thanks”

Ren smiled brightly in return before looking away again. That smile alone caused all his emotions, which had settled a bit by her question, to return in full force. She could set him off with the smallest of gestures, though the fact she was so sexy looking with just her shirt on didn’t help matters. Even though he had decided it wasn’t the time for a full confession, he still felt that he should say something, anything, to express the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling.

Ren looked up once again, intending to say something, but instead bore witness to yet another wonderful sight. It was so wonderful in fact that his over-heated brain couldn’t take it and he promptly lost consciousness, falling to the floor with a small nosebleed.

“You say something Ren? Nora asked, turning her head as much as she could. She couldn’t see much given her position, bending over to grab her bottoms from her bag; a position that just so happened to point her still panty-clad rear in Ren’s direction.

She retrieved her light grey pajama pants, happy that they seemed to match what the other student had been wearing and turned around to see that Ren had apparently fallen asleep. She put her bottoms on while contemplate how odd and uncomfortable a position that was; his head wasn’t even on a pillow. Looking closer, it seemed like his face was bright red and a small stream of blood was coming from his nose.

Nothing Nora knew about human sleeping patterns suggested this was a normal thing. It didn’t look like he had hit himself or something, so she didn’t know what had caused this beyond this being a thing that happened to Ren.

Unless…he had been in the shower for quite some time; did prolonged exposure to hot water have effect on one’s health? She had never read such a thing, but she also had no experience with it either. She would definitely have to research more about this before trying a hot shower herself.

Returning her attention to Ren, Nora debated for a few moments on what to do. She decided to move him into a more comfortable position; a poor night’s sleep could negatively affect his combat abilities tomorrow and Nora needed him to pass along with her.

Kneeling down, she hauled Ren onto his bedroll as gently as she could, taking the pillow off his lap and placing under his head before pulling the blankets over him.

At this point, the last light within the ballroom went out, leaving only the pale light of the moon to give illumination. Nora found herself staring at Ren face; it was so new yet also familiar. She had seen that face many times while at Hollow, yet only now was she truly remembering it. She hadn’t thought of him much, or at all, in the last several years. She always had the memories of him, but hadn’t consciously accessed those memories in years. Even now they were all foggy and very vague to her, but were becoming clearer as she spent time with Ren.

Without thinking, she reached out and with one finger, started to gently trace the lines of his face. With her memory returning, she could fully appreciate how much he had changed and grown over the years. The first thought that had popped it her head when she first saw him today was that he was handsome and now, looking closer, she could fully understand why she had thought that. Ren was, in her objective opinion, a very handsome young man. It didn’t mean much of anything, she had no interest in that sort of thing, but it was still stuck out in her mind when she thought of him.

Her finger moved up and touched Ren’s strand of pink hair. He said that he had gotten that as a way to remember her. He had obviously been thinking about her a lot over the years and greatly valued the time they had spent together. She had barely thought of him at all, so focus was she on her training and thoughts of her past were filled with hatred towards the orphanage. Everything before she met Lady Salem had been bad and everything after had been wonderful, that had been an ironclad fact for the past eight years.

But these new memories, and the emotions they were stirring up, were telling a slightly different story. Nora almost gasped as she remembered something unbelievable; she had actually hesitated to leave Hollow with Lady Salem because of Ren. She had almost refused Lady Salem offer to leave that horrible place because she didn’t want to leave Ren.

Ren was important to her. Ren was…her friend.

Nora retracted her hand and placed in on her chest, wondering why her heart had started to beat faster all of a sudden. It shouldn’t have mattered; the past was the past. Just because they had been close before didn’t mean, shouldn’t mean, that could be the same again. She was planning on making Ren think that, to make him loyal to her, but she should be as detached as possible.

Lady Salem had been right back then; no matter what he had done, he could never stop the pain or suffering she had endured at that place. Only Lady Salem could and that was why she rightly deserved all of Nora’s devotion. There was nothing Ren had done to even compare to that.

But…

Nora looked at Ren’s face again, peaceful and serene with a lop-sided smile.

He hadn’t been able to stop the pain, but he had tried. All the little things they did for each other, things that made those terrible days a little bit more bearable. He had tried to help her and to Nora that meant something.

Nora reached out again and gently cupped Ren’s cheek. On that night, she made a vow; she couldn’t save him from the destruction of mankind. That was fate and Lady Salem’s will. But she vowed to keep Ren alive for as long as she possibly could. That was the best she could do for him.

Nora backed away, satisfied, and returned to her own bed. She settled down, finding the hard floor more than adequate, and prepared to sleep. She needed to do her best tomorrow: that was when she could finally start paying back the immeasurable debt to her Lady.

 She would not fail.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that it for the third chapter and it turned out quite a bit longer then I intended. The next chapter will probably be a lot shorter than this. The chapter after that will be the Initiation and where Nora will get to show off some of her power.
> 
> Just to clarify, I’m not bashing on Ren or Ruby in this chapter; Nora will have a pretty low opinion of everyone at first and slowly warm up to them.
> 
> I am still taking suggestions for the name for Nora’s team. I’m leaning toward Team VLAN (Vermillion) but please leave your own ideas in your review or PM me.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 4: A Pleasant Morning

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

_The cabin was in the middle of the woods and was small, but cozy. It provided enough for the family of three that lived there; a mother, a father and their little girl. Living so far from the Kingdoms or any village, they lived without most conveniences of modern society. That was how they wanted it; they made or found everything they needed and if they couldn’t, they did without._

_It wasn’t the easiest life to live, but they were happy and content._

_The Beast stalked the cabin and its inhabitants for several days, gauging how much of a threat they were. The father had a rifle that he used for hunting and obviously had some skill, but nothing compared to the foes the Beast had killed before. The mother was no threat at all and if it struck fast enough, the child would be defenceless._

_The child, the girl, had an almost constant smile on her face. Her life was one of boundless joy and happiness. She had a mother and father who showered her with love every day and she got to play in a beautiful forest. She had been told to be careful, that evil monsters could be lurking around, but she had never see one herself. To her, the world was a joy-filled and peaceful place._

_That peace was shattered the night the Beast decided to strike. The little girl ran up to her room and hid under the bed, closing her eyes and covered her ears._

_It didn’t block out the screams coming from downstairs, the sounds of her parents being murdered by a monster. It lasted only short time, but to the girl it felt like those horrible sounds went on forever._

_Then there was absolute silence. The only thing the girl could hear was the beating of her heart and she almost believed that it was all over._

_Then there were the unmistaken sounds of footsteps climbing the stairs. Slowly, the Beast ascended to the girl’s room, opening the door and…_

Nora’s shot out of her bed, her eyes wide and her body shaking. It was that damn dream again; it was always the same. It had been awhile since she had last experienced it and she had begun to hope it was gone forever, but it wasn’t. She hated it, hated the way it made her feel. It hadn’t been like that, she knew, it was just…

Nora frantically looked around, desperately looking for her duffel bag. It was where she had left it, right beside her bedroll. She reached for and began digging through, trying to find her Peace.

But her shaking wouldn’t stop and her hands were too unsteady; she just couldn’t find the hidden compartment. She was beginning to hyperventilate and panic; she needed her Lady’s Peace.

“Nora? What’s wrong? Nora!” She could barely hear Ren’s voice, even though he was next to her. All her focus was on trying to find her Peace.

She was forced to notice Ren’s presence when he took hold of her, taking her hands away from her bag and embracing her. She struggled in his grasp for a moment; she could have easily tossed him off with her strength, but in her current frame of mind she couldn’t muster up a fraction of her power.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here, calm down.” Ren’s words were soft and soothing and, to Nora’s completely surprise, she found herself calming down. Her heart-rate and breathing started to slow and her shaking subsided. A feeling of utter peace came over her and she felt something stir in the back of her mind; a memory of this same feeling from long ago.

Ren let her down and shuffled back a bit on his knees, keeping his hands on her shoulder. He had woken up just before Nora and was in the process getting ready when he noticed that she was having what looked to be a panic-attack.

Seeing her in such a state had scared him almost out of his mind and he instinctively hugged her while activating his Semblance. He had noticed while at Combat School that, along with shielding him and others from the sight of Grimm, it also calmed and supressed emotions to a degree. He had often used this when his moods got dark and now he used it to help Nora through her episode.

 Nora looked at Ren, her eyes wide in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that something other than her Peace could calm her down after having that dream. She could never stop the shaking or make the onslaught of unwelcome emotions go away by herself and the fact she couldn’t grated at her; it was a weakness and Nora despised weakness.

But with a seemingly simply embrace, Ren had done what only Lady Salem’s powers could do. It was so unreal, and she couldn’t even begin to fathom how he had done it; it definitely made keeping Ren close a priority

Seeing that she had calmed down, Ren spoke. “Nora, are you alright? What happened?” He remembered her bizarre behavior yesterday, when she suddenly was holding her head in pain before acting like nothing had happened. He was beginning to fear that she had some kind of medical condition or something.

After another moment to catch her breath and collect her thoughts, Nora answered.

“It was nothing. I just had a, um, bad dream.” Nora internally winced; it was a pretty weak excuse for why she had acting like that.

It her surprise, Ren nodded in completely understanding.

“I know what you mean. I…sometimes get them too. It’s hard to forget a place like that, right?”

It took Nora a second to realize he was talking about the orphanage at Hollow. She had stopped having nightmares about that place years ago; the fear of that place had disappeared, leaving only her hate. Indeed, it was almost laughable to her now that that place could inspire that anything close to level of terror her current set of dreams could.

Still, it looked like that was what Ren expect was the cause, so she simply nodded. It was not the time to get caught up on such small things; today was a big day and she needed to focus. She quickly got up, assuring Ren that she was completely fine and set about getting ready for Initiation.

* * *

 

A short time later and Ren and Nora entered the cafeteria, which was filled with hungry teenagers.

Ren had successfully convinced Nora to change her clothes in one of the stalls in the girl’s bathroom this time. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if Nora had started stripping again, this time in broad daylight.

What he could imagine was what he would do; the thought of other people looking at Nora, ogling his dearest friend, made his blood boil. Ren wasn’t normally a violent person, but he could have his moments and they never ended well for his opponents.

Nora didn’t see the point of it all; what did it matter where she changed? It was just clothes and bare skin. But it appeared to be a big issue to Ren and so she decided to placate him this time.

Nora was taken back by the sounds and smells of the cafeteria. While there were a lot of people in the parts of Vale she had visited, those had always been in large, open spaces and she had mostly kept to the shadows. But here, she was right in the middle of all this hustle and bustle, with a hundred different conversations going on around her.

And the food was unlike anything she had ever seen. Nora had subsisted on ration bars and whatever fruit, vegetables and meat that she could find. Day after day was filled with the same kinds of food, food that was prepared to make it suitable for eating, rather than making it taste good.

That was fine enough for her; survival was what was important out there, not luxury. But now, will all these different kinds of food, all of which looked and smelled better than anything she had ever made, her stomach began to growl loudly.

“So, what do you want to eat? Ren asked her, a smile on his face. He was smiling because he could hear her stomach rumbling and that, due to her aversion to crowds, Nora had moved closer beside him, brushing up against his arm.

Nora looked around dumbly; she didn’t even know what most of what these dishes were called.

“Um…I…um…how about you get the food while I grab us a table? I’m fine with whatever you choose.” Without waiting for a response, Nora started out towards the back corner of the cafeteria, daftly moving between moving groups of students.

Ren wondered what that was all about, but decided to chalk it up to her being too concerned with Initiation to properly think about what to have for breakfast. That was fine, as Ren already had a good idea about what to get as he joined the long queue waiting for the food.

* * *

 

Despite how busy everything was, Nora was able to find an empty table at the very back corner of the cafeteria. Sitting down, Nora closed her eyes and started to take deep breathes.

How was it that her biggest obstacle since coming to Beacon wasn’t Ozpin and his brotherhood, but her own social anxiety? She was the Left Hand of Lady Salem, trained for years in the harsh Wilds, not some shy, awkward schoolgirl. She needed to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand.

Nora had just gotten her mind and stomach under control when she heard someone take a seat across from her. Opening her eyes, Nora was met by a pair of silver eyes and smiling face; one that was only inches from her own.

“Hello!” Ruby said excitedly. Nora was so surprised by her appearance that she almost fell backward out of her seat. She hadn’t expected to see this hyperactive child again so soon; she had honestly hoped to never cross her path again.

But what Nora didn’t understand was that her talking with Ruby and expressing interest in her weapon was enough to jump her to being Prime Candidate to be Ruby’s Best Friend at Beacon. This was a coveted position in Ruby’s mind and Nora had a good chance at getting it, mostly because she was the only one in the running.

Small acts of kindness went a long way with the little red reaper.

“It’s great to see you again! How’s your morning going? Can you believe we’ve been at Beacon for almost a full 24 hours? It’s incredible! And have you seen how huge all these buildings are? You could fit all of Patch in here.”

Ruby rambled on and on, taking about anything and everything at once. Nora could barely keep up with it all and was beginning to feel dizzy when a girl with long blonde hair came up behind Ruby and put a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder.

“Easy there. Slow down a bit and give Nora here a chance to breathe.” Ruby stopped her babbling and looked up at the newcomer. She seemed to realize what she had done, as her face quickly turned as red as her hood and she looked down abashedly while muttering an apology.

Nora took a moment to appraise the newcomer. She was showing off a lot of skin; an impressive amount of cleavage was exposed alongside her arms, legs and stomach. It was extremely alluring and provocative choice of attire.

The exposed limbs also showed off a strong physical physique and, combined with the girl’s straightforward and confident demeanour, led Nora to suspect that she was brawler-type. She looked like someone who preferred to take a problem head on; a dangerous, but ultimately predicable opponent, if Nora was right about her.

“You’ll have to forgive my little sister here; she tends to overly excited sometimes.” The girl said as she turned to look at Nora, giving a big smile while placing her hands on her hips. “I’m Yang Xiao Long; it’s nice to meet you.”

“It…nice to meet you too” Nora answered as she straightened back up in her seat. She looked closer at the two girls, trying and failing to see any sort of family resemblance. The fact that they had given her different last names was also confusing, but from what Nora understood that could have a multitude of explanations; none of which was important right now.

What was important was that these two were in a familial relationship and that any action Nora took regarding one would have to take the other into account as well. That was because, as Nora had read, what family did; they looked out for each other.

As the two sat down, Nora could pick up Ruby muttering something along that lines that Yang could get excited and lose her cool too. It seemed that Yang was only more calm and reasonable when compared to Ruby and probably could get riled up easily. Nora stored that information away for later and turned her attention back to Ruby.

“So, as I was saying, isn’t Beacon incredible? I know we’ve haven’t been allowed to see a lot of it yet, but what I’ve seen has been just amazing, right?” Ruby was speaking much slower and calmly now, but her excitement was still present.

“Yeah…Beacon sure is…something” was all Nora could say. She couldn’t understand how anyone could get excited over the inside of a few buildings. They had only been permitted inside of small amount of the campus with no guarantee that they would get to see more; it seemed like a very childish thing to get all worked up over.

Which brought Nora back to question she had meant to ask when she had met Ruby yesterday.

“I want to ask you…it’s just…you seem younger than the average applicant here and I wonder why that is; if it’s alright to ask, of course.” Nora hastily added the last part, not sure if she was unintendedly insulting her by questioning her place at Beacon.

Yang glanced over at Ruby, before licking her lips.

“Well, it’s like this…”

“It’s no problem at all!” Ruby exclaimed excitedly, cutting off her sister. “It was really incredible; the Headmaster himself let me in two early after I helped fight off some crooks robbing at Dust store. It was all really intense, but I’ll start at the beginning.”

Ruby proceeded to launch into a detail account of her run in with Vale’s Number One Criminal, Roman Torchwick. Her eager explanation was accompanied by enthusiastic arm-gestures, to better emphasis the intense action of the fighting.

 Yang was a little shocked about her sister’s behaviour. Wasn’t she telling her just yesterday that she didn’t want her early admittance to Beacon to be a made into a big deal, that she didn’t want people to think that she was special?

But here she was, all but bragging about how she had fought off a gang of crooks alongside Beacon’s Headmistress and had the Headmaster himself praise her. It would have looked like she was gloating about it, if it wasn’t clear that she was doing it to make Nora interested in her and not simply to stroke her own ego.

Yang had mixed feels about this Nora girl; at first, she had been thrilled that Ruby had been able to make a friend at Beacon so quickly. Ruby was an extremely kind and friendly person and Yang knew that she could make lots of friends if she wanted too. It was that she had trouble opening up to people she didn’t know. The reason Yang had unceremoniously abandoned her at the entranceway was primarily to force to meet other people without her around.

And it seemed to work; Ruby had gushed on and on about her new friend. Yang was beyond happy that her little sister had seemed to finally break out of her shell and engage with other people on her own.

Yang started to grow concern, however, when Ruby couldn’t answer any of her questions about Nora herself. Ruby could give a detailed description of her weapon, but nothing about who she was as a person. She understood that they had talked only for a little while before parting ways, but it was still off putting enough to make Yang worried.

So, when the morning came, it was Yang who suggested that they see if they could find Nora and have breakfast with her. Ruby readily agreed to this idea and ran off to find her new friend, with Yang catching up with her just as she found the mysterious red-head.

Getting a good look at her, Nora definitely gave a weird vibe. All that dark clothing and that battered and ripped trench coat didn’t exactly give a warm and friendly impression. Yang almost expected her to tell Ruby to buzz off and leave her alone.

But that didn’t happen. While obviously surprised at Ruby’s suddenly appearing in front of her, Nora didn’t seem like she was mad or angry or even dismissive of her. Sure, Ruby’s sheer exuberance could grate of people not used to it, but Nora seemed to be fine with it. The way she had tactfully asked about Ruby’s early acceptance, obviously curious but not wanting to come off as insulting, gave her extra points with Yang.

She was still on the fence as to whether Nora was good enough to be friend with her precious baby sister, but she was willing to give her a chance now.

And as soon as she got the chance, she was going to do something about this girl’s hair. Such messy and unkempt hair was an affront to the blonde, who placed proper hair-care very high on her list of life priorities.

Nora listened intently, nodding and asking questions occasionally. Taking away the parts that Nora was fairly sure were embellishments, it was still an impressive feat she had accomplished; for a normal person anyway. Ruby’s detailed account of the fight also gave a good idea of what her fighting style was like, confirming Nora’s earlier observation.

She also found that it was just simply amusing watching the excitable, red-hooded girl talk. She was so energetic, so earnest in whatever she was doing; Nora found it all rather appealing. She couldn’t imagine herself acting in such a manner, but it was quite entertaining to watch.

Ruby said something that caught Nora’s attention.

“Wait…what was that about a woman in a red dress that could shoot fire?”

“Oh…yeah I didn’t get a good look at her; she was all covered in shadow inside the Bullhead. I could make out that she was wearing some kind of red dress and high heels. I can’t believe anyone can fight in those stupid lady stilts.” Ruby added the last comment quietly.

“Was there anything else?” Nora asked, hiding her growing unease well.

“Ummm…oh, yeah. I could see that she had yellow eyes; they were practically glowing. And the fire she shot out at us was unreal. She was a match for Professor Goodwitch. I’ve never heard of a Dust-technique or a semblance like that. Her attacks were almost like magic really…”

Nora tuned out Ruby and the rest of the crowed meal-hall. If Ruby was right, there was only one person it could possibly be. With Lady Salem’s powers, Nora had been able to watch Cinder as she trained with her new Maiden powers. She saw what she could do with fire, the seemingly impossible things, to a normal person, she could do.

But if she was right, then that meant that Cinder was here, in Vale, right now. Nora’s mind whirled with the implications of that.

Cinder was helping a known criminal steal Dust. Being a getaway driver seemed a little beneath her, but she would need to get her hands dirty if she wanted to build a network in Vale strong enough to topple the Kingdom.

If Cinder was behind the recent rash of Dust robberies she had heard about, then she was already stockpiling the huge quantities of Dust she would need. That meant that she was perhaps further along with her plan then Nora had anticipated. Could she actually be ready to launch her attack? No, it had to still be months away at least. Nora still had time prepare.

Just knowing Cinder was in the city, or at least was there last night, unnerved Nora in a way that she didn’t like at all. Her whole life’s purpose effectively revolved around the raven-haired woman, to be ready to act when she made her move. She wasn’t afraid of dying, she long ago accept that fate, but she did fear in failing her appointed task, of failing her Lady. 

Thinking that the moment of truth was just around the corner, that she had to preform her assigned destiny, made her heart rate quicken. While she was more then willing to die for her Lady, she still wanted, needed, time to prepare; even she couldn’t simply rush off to her death without warning.

And if she rushed things, she could fumble it and ruin all of Lady Salem’s careful plans. That would be the absolute worst thing, to be the one who prevented her Lady from attaining her righteous goal.

Nora was so focused on her thinking, and both Ruby and Yang were focused on Ruby’s wrap up of her story, that no one noticed Ren approaching the table until he announced himself.

Ren had diligently stood in the breakfast line and got two plates of food that he was sure Nora would love. They had once stolen this particular food item from the staff at Hollow one early morning, right off the plate. He remembered that Nora had said that it had been the best thing she had ever tasted and he was sure that she would enjoy it again.

While he was putting on the final touches, he looked across the hall and could spot where Nora was. He saw that she was talking with that girl from before, Ruby, and another blonde girl. A strange feeling welled up inside of him and it took him a moment to realize that it was jealousy.

He was jealous that someone else was taking away Nora’s attention, away from him. They had been separated for so long that he wanted as much of Nora’s time to himself. He didn’t want anyone else trying to take her away from him again.

Taking a few deep breathes, Ren was able to calm himself as he gathered up the two plates of food and made his way over to Nora’s table.

He shouldn’t be feeling this way; it was a good thing that Nora was able to make new friends. It was selfish of him to want a monopoly on her time. If talking with new people and making new friends was what made her happy, then he would support her and not stand in the way.

“Hey…I got our breakfast. I hope you’ll like it.”

The three girls at the table looked over at him; Nora looked a bit startled, like she had just been in deep thought over something. Ruby had her mouth open, as she had been right in the middle of wrapping up her story. And the third girl, who had long blonde hair and lilac eyes, simply looked at him. Ren wasn’t sure, but there was something familiar about this person.

The blonde jumped to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table with a loud crash.

“YOU!” she shouted, her eyes turning bright red.

Ahhh....now he remembered her. She was the crazy aggressive brawler that he defeated in the Inter-Kingdom Tournament finals. She hadn’t taken her defeat very well and afterwards all but demanded a rematch. Thankfully she was pulled away by an apologetic man that Ren could only assume was her father before she could start anything.

He probably should have expected to see her again here; someone with that much fighting talent and drive would certainly apply to Beacon. It appeared that time hadn’t cooled her down any, or lessened her desire for a rematch.

Yang had been hoping that she would get to meet this boy again. It wasn’t that he had simply defeated in combat, not entirely, but it was that he had acted like it was no big deal. He was all prim and proper, thanking her for a good fight and saying he was honoured to win, but she could just tell he was lying. It was almost like winning one of the biggest combat competitions on the planet meant nothing to him. By extension, all the effort and training that Yang put in also meant nothing, which angered the proud blonde to no end.

She might not have been expecting to encounter him now, she would have made sure to bring Ember Cilica with her if she had, but her bare fists would do the job just fine.

She was just about to leap across the table and beat some proper respect for her into his head when she was suddenly and forcefully pulled back down onto her seat. Her red eyes were met by a silver pair that had just as much anger in them as her own.

“YANG!” Ruby shouted at her big sister, “Don’t start a fight with my friend’s friend!”

“But…Ruby, I-”

“No buts! You promised that you wouldn’t do anything crazy to scare off my potential friends. That includes setting them on fire, running them over with your motorcycle or punching them in the face. So, sit down, shut up and be friendly!”

There were few things that could stop Yang in her tracks; an infuriated Ruby was one of them. Muttering an ‘okay’, she crossed her arms and turned her head aside, pouting and throwing glares at Ren.

Ruby turned back to Ren and Nora, an apologetic look on her face.

“I am so sorry for her behaviour. I promised they she will be much better behaved from now one and that you will have nothing to worry about”

“…Right…” was all that Ren could say as he took the seat next to Nora, putting her right across from Yang. He could easily hear her muttering under her breathe and see her glaring at him. While her trying to punch her was something he could deal with, he was worried that her driving over people with a motorcycle or setting them on fire was a strong enough possibility that it had to be discussed in advance.

With a justified sense of unease, Ren slid the plate of food towards Nora, keeping his eyes on the angry blonde as he slowly ate his breakfast.

Nora was completely baffled by this exchange. First it looked like Yang was about attack Ren, only to be stopped and scolded by her younger sister, who acting like the mature one.

Ren wasn’t making a big deal out of his near-assault, so Nora decide to let it be for now, turning instead to the plate of food that Ren had put in front of her. The stress and near panic of knowing that Cinder was in the City had ruined her appetite and the choice of food Ren had made did little to bring it back.

Nora knew what cakes were, from various books she had read, and so assumed these things were similar. Each ‘cake’ was disc-shaped and thin, with several stacked-on top of each other. They were a light brown colour, with the edge being more yellow. The were covered in some kind of sticky brown sauce with a dash of rapidly melting butter on top.

While it smelled okay, it didn’t look to appealing to Nora. She briefly considered going back for her duffel bag and eating some of the dried jerky she had stored away, but Ren might have considered that an insult. She couldn’t risk alienating him yet, so decided that eating this stuff was the best course of action.

Looking over to see how Ren was eating his meal, Nora put the smallest portion on her fork and tentatively put it into her mouth.

Nora’s first taste of pancakes could only be described as an experience that would make any hard-core drug user jealous.

All her taste buds were alight, dancing to this sweet, sweet flavour. She had never tasted anything like this is out in the Wilds; she couldn’t imagine that anything in the world could be as divine as this.

Nora had read several books on philosophy, to better understand the human thinking, but it was only now that she truly understood. The Self-Actualization of the Individual, the Instrumentality of the Soul, the Releasing of the True Persona; it was all happening right now. This was what it meant to be human, to know true joy and happiness. This sugary food was the answer to all of life’s questions.  Nora felt like dancing, singing, laughing and crying all at once. She was truly complete; it was wonderful and amazing and-

A sound brought her back to the present; a small sound that seemed to ring loudly in her ears. Looking down, she saw that this disturbing sound was caused by her fork hitting her plate; her _empty_ plate.

Nora quickly looked up and started glancing around the cafeteria. Who could have done it? Who would have dared to steal this heavenly meal right from under her nose? She would find them and when she did, she would break their legs; she would break their **soul**!

Nora noticed that Ruby was looking at her strangely, her mouth slightly open. Beside her, Yang was full on laughing, banging her fist on the table as she couldn’t contain it all. Nora immediately suspected her as being the thief and had already though up a dozen different ways to scalp that pretty head of hair off when the blonde finally got enough breathe back to speak.

“Whoa…haha…I…and I thought Ruby could scoff cookies down right quick. But that was lightning fast.” Yang wiped tears from her eyes and looked at Nora. “You must _really_ love pancakes, huh?”

Nora blinked a few times before slowly licking her lips, catching a few stray bits of pancake and syrup on her tongue.

There wasn’t any food thief, Nora had simply devoured all of it before she knew what had happened. But…how was that possible? How could mere food make Nora lose herself so completely. And what in her Lady’s name was that overwhelmingly grand sensation she experienced; it was unlike anything she had done or heard about before.

All that she knew at this moment was that she liked it and that she wanted more.

She looked over to Ren, who wore a shocked expression like Ruby’s, and noted that he had barely touched his own plate of pancakes. Nora demolishing her plate of food in only a few seconds had distracted him from his own meal.

Nora contemplated for a moment, before decided that the paltry stack on Ren’s plate wasn’t enough for her. She wanted, needed, much more then that.

And she knew just where to get them

“I’ll be right back” Nora said before standing up and practically skipped towards the food line.

“So…I guess she is going for seconds?” was all that Ruby could say. She had experience in quickly eating food, with how delicious chocolate cookies were how could she not, but seeing someone doing it with even greater ferocity was something else.

“Is she always like this; quiet and collected one minute and all weird the next?” Yang asked at Ren, her hostility towards him set aside for now.

“I’m…not entirely sure.” Ren answered, turning to face the blonde. There was so much about this older Nora that he didn’t know or understand.

“But…” he continued, his tone gaining a hard edge, “Don’t call Nora weird or anything like that”.

Ren would be damned if he let anyone insult his best friend.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the boy across from her. She hadn’t meant any offense by her question, but she wasn’t going to let this guy of all people chastise her for it. The air between the two thick as the tension grew.

In the distance, some sort of commotion was going on up at the food line, but neither Yang or Ren gave any attention to it. Their focus was entirely on the person across from them; Ren tighten his grip on his fork while Yang clenched her fists.

Ruby was not happy with this turn of events; she had just prevented Yang from getting into a fight a few minutes ago and now these two were about to come to blows again. She could only sigh at how childish they were acting; if would have been one thing if this was an argument over weapons, but this just seemed way too immature.

“Okay, so…Ren…you’re friends with Nora, right?” Ruby asked, hoping to diffuse the situation by steering the conversation to something less confrontational. It would also serve to, hopefully, give Ruby some more information on her potential new best friend.

Ren diverted his away from Yang, his glare softening only a little as it settled on the other girl.

“Of course. The two of us have known each other since we were kids. We’re very close.” The last part was said with a small hint of smugness, quite out of character for Ren. He was fine with Nora making friends with other people, but he didn’t want to her get the idea that _she_ had a chance of being Nora’s best friend.

“So…you would know if this was something out of the ordinary for her, right?” Ruby continued, paraphrasing Yang’s question into a less insulting way.

“Well…actually I’m not sure about that” Ren answered hesitantly.

The two girls gave him odds looks, as this seemed to contradict what he had just said.

“I mean…we were separated for the last several years” Ren explained, “And we only just re-connected, but we’re still very close and important to each other”.

“She’s important to me.” He added quietly.

It wasn’t quiet enough for Yang. Ren had given her an opening and she was going to attack him through it.

“So, you’re really close to her then, right?” Yang ask, a sly smile forming on her face. Ren nodding, taking a bite of his pancakes, not knowing the danger he was in.

“Sooooo…do you love her?”

Choking to death on a small piece of pancake would have been a truly humiliating way for an inspiring Huntsman to die and thankfully Ren managed to avoid that fate. He hit his chest until the offending piece of food finally went down the right way, letting him breath again.

“What…what are you saying?!” Ren sputtered, “I don’t…I mean…well…it-it’s complicated!”

Yang shook her head. “You have to know that it’s bad to have such confusion in a relationship, right? I know…let’s go talk to Nora right now and get this all cleared up”.

Yang’s words sounded sincere, but the big grin on her face was anything but. When she made as if to get up, Ren reached out lightening fast across the table to grasp one of her hands.

“W-Wait! You don’t need to…I mean I want too, wait no well, we’re together, but not together-together and…I umm…please?” Ren stuttering made no sense what so ever except that he didn’t want to talk to Nora about this particular subject.

A loud explosion, followed by screams of pain and fear came from the cafeteria kitchen. The three sitting at table, having experienced things like this at Combat School, completely ignored the ongoing mayhem.

For Yang, having a boy unceremoniously grab her hand would have result into said boy being acquainted with her fist, but for Ren she was willing to make a special exception.

“You know”, she said, her words sugary sweet, “if Nora were to see this, she might get the wrong idea”.

Ren pulled his hand back like it had been bitten by a venomous snake.

Yang couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. She had just promised not to fight Ren, but she hadn’t said anything about teasing him. She would have her revenge on him, one way or the other, and his relationship with Nora provided more then enough ammunition for her.

Ren looked at the blonde with baleful eyes. “ _A foe more evil and foul then the Grimm stands before me”._

Ruby didn’t catch all of the byplay going on, but was more then happy that Yang and Ren seemed to be getting along better now. She was confused on whether Ren was in a relationship with Nora or not and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Before she could think harder on her potential best friend, a very strange sight drew her attention. She tapped her sister’s shoulder and when Yang recovered from her laughing fit enough to wipe the tears from her eyes and follow Ruby’s pointing finger, her laughter stopped. Ren turned to see what the girls were looking at and his mouth fell open.

They could tell that it was Nora walking towards them, her trench coat was quite distinctive. She was holding a huge plate in front of her and on it, stacked almost to the room’s ceiling, was a massive stack of pancakes. Looking behind her, they could see smoke coming from the kitchen area, with cafeteria staff rushing around with fire-extinguishers. Many other students in the meal hall were backing away from the red-haired girl, giving her lots of space to return to her table.

There was complete silence in the normally bustling cafeteria as Nora calmly set her plate down and took her seat beside Ren. They all bore witness as Nora dug into her second serving with a gusto, breaking several World Records in the process.  

They were all used to craziness from their time in Remnant’s Combat Schools, but this was definitely up there in being pretty darn crazy.

* * *

 

After finishing her breakfast, Nora made her way to the locker room with Ren in tow. After getting over their shock, Ruby and Yang had rushed to the kitchen to get something to eat before the kitchen burnt down completely.

The locker room was no where near as crowed as the cafeteria had been and they quickly made it to the lockers that held their weapons. Normally, having Magnhild back in her hands would have calmed her down immensely, and it did to a degree, but she was still riding the high from her breakfast. She couldn’t believe that such a divinely made food was just handed out so freely; it should be under guard or something.

So, with her mind occupied with getting her gear ready for the Initiation and planning on how to get her hands on another batch of pancakes later, she didn’t see the two conversing girls until she accidentally walked right into one of them.

“Sorry!” the girl, tall with brilliant red hair tied into a ponytail, exclaimed. Nora absentmindedly nodded in reply and continued walking towards the exit.

Her journey was unceremoniously interrupted as someone grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. Normally, Nora’s fine-tuned reflexes would have kicked in and she would have automatically responded by ripping the person’s arms off.

But, in her syrup-addled state, all she could was let herself be turned around rough and stare dumbly at the person responsible; a petite white-haired girl with a scar over one eye and a fierce expression on her face.

“You ingrate! Don’t you have any manners at all!” the girl yell, her hands of her hips. “That was _the_ Pyrrha Nikos that you so rudely knocked into. You better apologize right away!”

“N-no, that quite all right…” the girl that Nora had bumped into, the aforementioned Pyrrha Nikos, interjected. Weiss simply held up her hand, silencing her attempt to deescalate the situation.

Ren looked over from his locker at the commotion. He quickly grabbed his weapons, storing them in his sleeves before grabbing and sheathing a special black knife. He quickly jogged over to where Nora was.

“What going on here?” he asked as he reached the trio. The white-haired girl looked over at him, her face containing both annoyance and a dismissive glare.

“Do you know this girl?” she asked point at Nora. “maybe you should teach your… _friend_ here some proper manners”

Ren’s eye twitched slightly. “ _That’s eternal soulmate to you, you damn stuck-up bitch”_. He managed not to say that out loud, though it took a good deal of willpower on his part.

“I’m…sure this is just a misunderstanding. Nora wouldn’t do…whatever it is you think she did” Ren had no idea what this argument was about, but he was convinced that Nora was totally innocent in all this.

“This brute here practically shoved in poor Pyrrha here”

“It was actually just a light tap…” Pyrrha said softly.

“And completely interrupted the very important discussion we where having.” The white-haired girl continued, ignoring Pyrrha’s comments. “I demand an apology.”

Nora was completely lost with what was happening and a look over at Ren showed he wasn’t much better off. She heard that some people could be thin-skinned towards others words and actions, but this seemed a little overboard.

“I…guess I’m sorry and all, but…who are you again?”

Nora’s simple question brought a strangled gasp from the white-haired girl. “Who am I! How ignorant can you be? I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to Schnee Dust Company. And this is Pyrrha Nikos, who I’m sure you know of; she did graduate at the top of her class at Sanctum after all.”

Nora cocked her head to the side. She knew of the Schnee Dust Company, the largest producer of Dust products on the planet. Dust was one of the main weapons that had allowed humans to survive against the Grimm and so whoever controlled the flow of Dust, controlled the future of mankind.

Nora had been educated in the basics of how this powerful industry worked and who the major players were. While she didn’t know who this girl was specifically, her name and attitude told her everything Nora needed to know; that she was a spoiled rich girl that expect everything to go her way just because of her family name. She had probably spent her whole life in luxury, having everything handed to her on a silver platter.

She was the kind of person who Nora would have loved to have their head twisted off.

Future murders aside, Nora still had no idea who this ‘Pyrrha’ was. She was the one Nora had bumped in to and apparently offended. With how Weiss was taking about her, she seemed to be a big deal or something. Nora needed more information before deciding how to deal with this girl.

“I’ve never heard of Sanctum before? Is it outside of Vale?”

“O-Oh, no. It’s in Mistral” Pyrrha said, answering Nora’s question before Weiss could speak up. “It a Combat School. It’s actually considered the premier Combat School in the whole Kingdom...”

“Yes” Weiss interjected, “which goes to show how much better she is then you, and whatever second-rate school you’re from.”

“Really now…” Ren said, giving Weiss a pointed look. “So…which school did you say you graduated from again?”

Weiss didn’t immediately answer that, instead looking away and coughing into her hand. Both Ren and Nora noticed this.

‘That’s…not important right now. I-If you don’t know about Sanctum, they you must know about Prryha’s record-setting streak at the Mistral Regional Tournament; four wins in a row.” Weiss had recovered from her brief lapse and was back to being all high and mighty.

“Wait…isn’t that the Tournament thing that you came first in Ren?” Nora asked, turning to look at the taller boy.

“Not quite. What I won the Vale Inter-Kingdom Tournament, which involves only the Combat Schools inside of Vale.” Ren explained, “The Mistral Regional Tournament is pretty much the same, expect it’s restricted to just Mistral”

“That right.” Prryah jumped in, speaking quickly as if afraid she would get cut off again by Weiss. “The Vale and Mistral Tournaments are very similar in structure. In Vacuo, they have the Desert Rumble, which is a cross between a race and a survival contest. In Atlas they have the Annual Military Maneuvers, which is based around teamwork and coordination.”

 “Okay, I get it now. So, you’ve won this Tournament four times, huh? That is certainly…something” Nora looked Pyrrha over, noting for the first time her height and strong athletic build. These silly tournaments didn’t prove anything in her eyes, but she supposed that Pyrrha was worth keeping an eye on.

Pyrrha herself tilted her head slightly at Nora’s response. It wasn’t like anything she had experience before from someone who found out who she was. This girl was treating her record-setting achievements like they were nothing and Pyrrha honestly didn’t know to feel about that.

At the very least, it made this Nora girl an interesting person; more interesting then a bootlicker like Weiss.

Weiss, for he part, was completely flabbergasted. “Wha…how…how can you not know about this?! We’re you raised in a barn or something? She’s on every box of Pumpkin Pete’s cereal for God’s sake!” Weiss was waving her arms around in exasperation, clearly reaching her wits end with Nora.

Nora simply tilted her head and look on with confusion and Weiss already knew what she was about to say before she opened her mouth.

“I’ve never heard of Pumpkin-”

“That’s _you_!”

The four gathered teens all jumped slightly by the intrusion, caused by a lanky blond boy wearing white armour.

“They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!” the blonde boy exclaimed excitedly. Nora, Ren and Pyrrha simply stared at the newcomer, uncertain of what to make of him. Weiss let out an angry sigh.

“You again?” her question was anger-filled and it seemed to Nora that she was ready to pop a blood vessel or something.

“Yes, me. Jaune Arc. Rolls right off the tongue doesn’t it? I was thinking we could pick up where we left off”

This newcomer, Jaune, proceeded to get very close to Weiss, who looked less then thrilled at his presence. Nora looked on with curiosity; this what was called “flirting’, wasn’t it? From what Nora had read, this was one part of the human mating ritual. She was confused on why he was doing it here, as right before Initiation didn’t seem like the appropriate time for such things.

Both Weiss and Pyrrha seemed to share the same thought and both made haste to get away from Jaune; Weiss angrily stomping away while Pyrrha more politely excused herself. Jaune looked dejected for a moment, before turning his attention to Nora.

“And what’s your name, beautiful?” he asked, practically sliding up in front her.

“…Nora Valkyrie…” she answered after a moment. She wasn’t sure of what to make of this guy; confidence was a good thing to have, but this was just annoying.

“Hi, I’m Jaune. Jaune Arc. How about you join up with my team? We could get to know each other and…” he’s little speech was cut short, not by Nora, but by the look coming from Ren. It was a look of pure rage and murder and Jaune honestly though he was on the verge of skinning him alive or something.

“M-maybe another time…” he said nervously, backing away slowly. “best to focus on Initiation and…ah, yeah…see ya.” With that, he turned around and walked away.

Nora stared at Jaune’s back for a moment, before turning to Ren. “What was that all about?”

Ren, who immediately schooled his face the moment Nora started moving her head, just gave a shrug. He relaxed his hands as he gave the blonde intruder one last look. His first thoughts were that he should use his father’s knife to skin that boy alive for daring to hit on _his_ Nora. That would have been disrespectful though, as he had only recently recovered the knife and the memories it held.

Using StormFlower to skin him, if he tried it again, would be more then sufficient.

“Anyway” Nora said, turning towards the door, “let’s get out of here before something else happens”

Not a second after saying, a flash of crimson appeared in the doorway. With a joyful squeal, Ruby launched herself at her soon-to-be-possible-best-friend.

With a quick turn, Nora moved out of the way and Ruby sailed right pass her, colliding instead with the back of the retreating Jaune. The two ended up on the ground in a jumbled pile.

“Ruby! I told you not to-” Yang started to say as she followed into the room before seeing her sister on top of of an unknown male. “HEY! What are you doing with my sister you perv!” She immediately rushed in with her fists ready to fly.

Nora gave this scene a quickly look before hurrying out the door, Ren following along obediently.

Follow the steady stream of applicants, they found themselves outside and heading towards the edge of the plateau that Beacon was located on. It overlooked the Emerald Forest, where the Initiation was supposedly being held.

Nora walked slowly towards the staging area, her mind trying to process everything that had happened recently. She had expected things at Beacon to be different and even strange compared to what she was used too, but this too much.

First, she meets up with Ren again after all these years, then a young red-hooded girl gets attached to her for some reason, followed by meeting with a rich sob, an overblown athlete and annoying blonde knight. Serving her Lady was a demanding task and she was willing to lay down her life, but this was getting a little too crazy too soon.

Still, the discovery of such a magnificent substance like pancakes was worth all of it. Nora absentmindedly licked her lips as she thought back to her breakfast. It had only been a short time, but it felt like ages since she had tasted that divine, syrupy goodness. She began to mentally plan on how get more of them.

Marching on the school’s kitchen and stealing them didn’t seem like a good idea. In retrospective, forcibly taking all the pancakes and setting the cafeteria kitchen on fire wasn’t the smartest move for someone trying to keep a low profile, but Nora was starting to get the impression that things like that were fairly common for combat institutions like this.

“I wonder if pancakes are an appropriate dinner meal?” Nora mused; there was so much about this wonder food that she didn’t know about. She would have to research in thoroughly when she got the chance.

Beside her, Ren chuckled. “You really like pancakes, don’t you?” It took Nora a moment to realizes she had spoken her thoughts outload. She felt her face heat up slightly for some reason.

“You know,” Ren continued. “I can actually cook pancakes; pretty good ones I’ve been told If you want, I could make them whenever you want-”  

Ren was cut off by Nora suddenly grabbing his shoulder and turning him towards her. She then reached up and grabbed the sides of his face, pulling him down almost double to her eye level. She looked directly into his eyes with an intense gaze, their faces almost touching.

Ren’s heart began to race; Nora’s lips were only inches from his own. It was like they were about to kiss…

The boy’s heart race increased and his face turned bright red. This was something he had thought about, had dreamed about for so long, but this was all too sudden. His heart wasn’t ready for this…

“Ren!” Nora barked, bringing the magenta-eyed boy back to the present. “You are going to do everything in your power to make sure when end up on the same team. Got it?” her words held absolute authority and Ren found himself nodding.

“Good…” Nora let go of Ren and started walking towards the exam site again.

Ren was left standing there, still bent over with a red face. He slowly straightened up and began to follow after Nora. As his mind started to process what had happened, a wide smile graced his face.

Nora…wanted to be with him. She wanted him by her side. To Ren, this was almost the equivalent of a romantic confession. Sure, she didn’t say anything remotely close to that, but Ren was easily able to substitute the words and emotions in. His heart soared with this confirmation of Nora’s feelings for him.

With Nora, a very different thought was going through her mind. “ _With Ren on my team, I can ensure a constant supply of pancakes”._ Nora had come to the conclusion that pancakes were now vital to her success at Beacon, so making sure she could get them at anytime by staying close to Ren was now a priority.

Licking her lips, Nora headed towards the Emerald Forest, more then ready to tackle whatever the Initiation threw at her.

* * *

 

**The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nora may have been raised by an evil mistress, but her love of pancakes cannot be silenced.**

**Sorry for the wait, but this chapter ended up being longer then I intended. I’m going to switch gears and focus on Sisterhood for the foreseeable future, since that story has gotten more attention and support then this one. I’m not planning on abandoning it, just focusing on my more popular RWBY fic.**

**As I wrote the first chapter before Volume 4 released, I thought that Salem was running the show all alone except for Cinder. Eventually, I’ll rewrite that chapter to acknowledge the other members of Salem’s faction, but going forward know that Tyrian, Watts and Hazel are in the story and Nora knows of them. Salem’s worry about Cinder betraying her is still real, alongside not fully trusting any of her other followers. As Nora was trained for a specific task, they are many parts of Salem’s plan she doesn’t know about, including the importance of Ruby’s silver eyes. These will be revealed to her as the story unfolds.**

**Also including Ren and Nora backstory from Volume 4 as well. More explanation later, but the gist is that they were placed in the orphanage after their village was destroyed and due the abuse and trauma they suffered, ended up forgetting their past. Ren has recovered his father’s dagger and his memories in the years since the orphanage, while Nora hasn’t.**

**I’m putting up a poll on my Fanfiction.net account to decide what the Nora-led Team JNPR be. Go there to vote or post your choice in the comments or by PM. Choices are:**

**Team VLAN / Vermilion. This name not only ties into the fact that both Nora and Pyrrha are red-heads, but also invokes the phoenix. The concept of rising from the ashes and being reborn as something stronger and better is a major theme for this story and something most of the cast will eventually go through.**

**Team VNLA / Vanilla. This invokes the color white, which is part of Nora's original color scheme and can reference the innocence she lost due to Salem. Returning to this more innocent and 'sweeter' person will be a major part of Nora's character development.**

**Team VJNR / Vajra. This is short for Vajrayana, also known as Tibetan Buddhism. This is the only one that doesn't follow the Color Naming Scheme. Another name for Vajrayana is 'Lighting Bolt Path', so it has a clear connection to Nora. More so, Vajrayana, and Buddhism in general, is focused on purification of the spirit and cleansing of the mind and soul to reach enlightenment. Nora's journey will be a one of personal enlightenment as she discovers who she really is and tries to cleanse herself of Salem's influence**

**I’ll also clarify here; this is not going to be a ‘DarkNora’ fanfic, where Nora is super evil and hurts/kills the other characters. The premise of the story is that Nora was taken in by Salem, raised to do her bidding, but eventually breaks free. If someone wants to do a story like that, they can go ahead, but this story is about how Nora is ultimately a good person and even Salem can’t stop that.**

**Thanks for read, cast a vote or give your opinion on the Team name and the story in general with a review or a PM.**


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